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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335218">Three Times ('Cause I've Waited My Whole Life)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaweedhenry/pseuds/seaweedhenry'>seaweedhenry</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Book Quotes, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Lots of Bands, M/M, Music, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Taylor Swift songs, They have a band, Trigger warnings in each chapter, different ages, nerd, the slowest of slow burn that I feel like I should hurry things up myself</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 01:33:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>62,755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27335218</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaweedhenry/pseuds/seaweedhenry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth was never into music. She always tried to avoid crowded place or confront her own feelings about her mother's death. Percy comes in and brings music to her life and a new found peace.</p><p> </p><p>N.B: The story is completely written and will be posted, I just update slowly at the moment. Please forgive me.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Thalia Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. ONE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback. I want to say that I was kind of inspired for songs’ titles by many fanfics I have read through the years here on ao3.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <span class="u">Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</span> </em>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em> <span class="u">Trigger Warning: slight mention of panic attack.</span> </em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>ANNABETH</strong>
</p><p><strong> <em>When the night was full of terrors, and your eyes were filled with tears – </em> </strong> <strong>The Night We Met by Lord Huron</strong></p><p>Annabeth <em>tried</em> to make Piper change her mind, she really did, but when her best friend makes up her mind about something there’s no turning back.</p><p>So, on a random winter Tuesday night, she found herself queueing outside one of the best clubs in Manhattan to hear live emerging bands for cheap, freezing in the New York wind. The line hadn’t moved a bit since they arrived, and the guy behind her had touched her enough times that she was now sure that he was doing it on purpose. She was just about to turn around to yell at him, when Piper grabbed her arm and started moving forward.</p><p>“Come on now, Annie, the line is moving” she said, stomping her feet and shaking her legs, trying to produce some heat. She was wearing ripped jeans, but the air was still cold.</p><p>Annabeth moved without a word but cursing her friend in her mind. It was cold that day, and the short red leather skirt she was wearing without stockings was turning her legs into ice cubes. Of course, Piper did tell her to cover herself a little more, but if she had to go to a bar to watch her friend crushing over some guy, she would at least make sure to have some <em>fun</em> herself. It’s not that she didn’t love her best friend, but when it came to guys, she was insufferable. And as of what she could understand from the little information she could gather, this guy wasn’t just a crush. He was a <em>super</em> crush.</p><p>A little touch on her leg came from behind. <em>That was it</em>.</p><p>“Touch me once again, and so help me gods, I will cut your hands off right here, right now” she snapped, turning to face the man behind her. Her face must have looked more intimidatory than she wanted it to, because the guy swiftly stepped back and turned red. His friends imitated him and soon there was space for another person to stand between them. Piper, in the mid time, had turned to see what the fuss was all about. Having understood what had happened, she was quick to take Annabeth’s arm, staring angrily at the men.</p><p>If Annabeth seemed scary, Piper was furious and deadly. The guys took another step back.</p><p>Her friend’s touch comforted her and made her feel safer, while they kept moving along the line. It took them almost half an hour to get to the top of the queue. The red sign that read “Hermes’ Hut” was bright and almost blinded her. She passed the money to a lean guy, who with mischievous smile. His name tag identified him as Connor. He waved her and Piper goodbye, wishing them a good time.</p><p>Inside the club it was hot. She took off her jacket and her bare skin felt relieved for a second. She was wearing a sleeveless crop top and, then, she remembered why she decided to dress that way. In places like that one, it was hard to feel cold.</p><p>Piper grabbed her arm again and led her to the bar. A black-haired girl with a lot of piercings was there, cleaning some glasses and looking annoyed at her co-worker, who was monologuing to her. Next to her, there was another guy, who Annabeth swore she had already seen.</p><p>“Weren’t you upstairs?” Piper asked.</p><p>The guy looked exactly like Connor, the ticket seller. They even shared the same smile. “That was my brother. I’m Travis” he shouted, trying to speak over the loud music. “What can I get you girls?”. He smiled, trying to be flirtatious, gaining only an eye-roll from the goth girl.</p><p>“Travis … Katie” she said only, making the barista sigh.</p><p>Piper laughed. “I’ll have a beer. My friend here will have some water” she ordered, patting her shoulder gently and showing her ID to the barista. “Can you tell me when is the band gonna be up?”.</p><p>The girl smirked. “As soon as I am done here” she explained. Her co-worker, a guy named Cecil, pulled a face.</p><p>“Oh, you’re in the band?” Annabeth asked. She did look like the type of person who would be in a rock band, which was very stereotypical but also true. Nonetheless, they were all in their early 20s, so it was okay to fall into some kind of stereotypes, sometimes.</p><p>“Drummer” she smiled, cleaning the last glass in the row. “I guess I’ll be on in five”, she said throwing the towel to Travis and going around the counter and disappearing behind a black door close nearby.</p><p>The barista gave them their drinks and they hurried to move near the stage. They managed to get to the fifth row, which, all things considered, was a good spot. Piper started chatting happily, as she always did, and Annabeth was soon caught up by her. The club was now full of people and they were a little squeezed between over-excited girls, who were expressing their preference over the bassist or the singer. A girl said she preferred the drummer, but no one seemed to notice it. She had no idea what or who they were talking about (other than the barista they met earlier) and suddenly felt ashamed. Piper had been obsessed with the band for <em>weeks</em> now, but she never really cared enough to even remember the name, let alone its members and who Piper had a crush on.</p><p>Three people entered the stage. With the nameless black-haired girl stood two guys. Annabeth suddenly regretted not listening to Piper. The most handsome guy she had ever laid eyes on was smiling and waving the crowd. He had jet black messy hair and clear eyes. Even if she couldn’t really figure out their colour from where she was standing, she was sure they were beautiful. His smile was contagious and sweet and reminded her of the sunny days she used to spend with her father at the beach back in San Francisco. Those were the best and most treasured memories of hers. The man kept walking till he was right in the centre of the stage, standing next to the lead vocalist’s microphone. He picked up a sea-green guitar and shoved the strap across his shoulder. An extremely attractive shoulder, strong and broad. He was lean and muscular, but not too excessive. It was the right balance. His legs were long and trapped in insanely and unfairly good black jeans. She felt she could <em>die</em> in that moment and be happy because she got to see the most beautiful human being ever.</p><p>Piper squealed next to her and squeezed her arm a little bit too much. Sure she was going to have a mark the next morning.</p><p>“Here he is!” she yelled in her ear, a little bit too excited.</p><p>That was when it hit her: and if that was <em>the</em> guy <em>Piper</em> had a crush on?</p><p>The most-beautiful-singer-to-ever-exist regulated his microphone. “Hi everyone!” he said and that was it. Annabeth was a goner.</p><p>He did not only have an amazing body, but his voice... It was rough, but not too deep, cheerful and sweet. It reminded her of the nights she spent in her cheap and shoe-box-sized apartment with Leo and Piper, laughing and joking around. Those were her favourite kind of nights, and she wouldn’t have traded them for anything in the world.</p><p>“I’m Percy,” <em>Percy</em>. Even his name was beautiful. “The guy at my right is Jason,” Piper squealed again. Maybe she was not interested in Percy. “And our amazing drummer is Thalia”.</p><p>My-voice-will-kill-you-soon smiled again, before turning to his friend, Jason. The guy was blond and lean, he had beautiful features and icy eyes. His arms were more muscular than Percy’s, but they were perfect on his body. His body seemed of the kind that screamed <em>I will take your daughter away from you</em>, but his face was another story. It was kind and reassuring, even if his expression was serious. He didn’t look like he could hurt a fly. And that, that was Piper type, for sure. She felt a little bit relieved in her stomach, which made her feel as stupid as one can get.</p><p>“Much to Percy’s displeasure, we are the <em>Zeus Rules</em>” Jason announced in his mic, while Percy laughed wholeheartedly. He looked so cute. “This first one is a cover of one of our favourite bands and one of our favourite songs of all time: this is <em>Centuries</em> by Fall Out Boy”.</p><p>Annabeth didn’t know that song. Annabeth didn’t know <em>shit</em> about music.</p><p>The song started with Thalia singing “Duh, duh, dooh”. As soon as the guitar entered, though, Percy and Jason started singing. Their voices together were powerful and the rhythm in the room picked up with the song. Soon enough everyone was dancing, some even singing along. Piper was jumping frenetically beside her and that made Annabeth laugh. Her whole mood about that night shifted and she started jumping alongside her friend, taking her hand and smiling with her. When the first verse came in and Jason went quiet, Annabeth was positive she was <em>dead</em>. Even if the song was cheery and bouncy, Percy’s voice was clear and calm while singing and, boy, was he good. Shivers went down her spine. His voice was warm and yet felt infinite. Every word was a new sound and a new facet of it. And it was not possible to feel so attached and so <em>attracted</em> to a voice, but she was. She could stay there, motionless, listening to Percy singing and she still would feel more alive than she had ever felt in the past 19 years of her life. He moved in place, while playing his guitar, jumping in his place and bending his head. His mouth was attached to the mic and he couldn’t look better than he did right in that moment.</p><p>She almost whined when Jason and Thalia joined Percy for the chorus. She probably did, but the room was so loud that not even she heard herself. It wasn’t <em>fair</em> that his voice was swallowed by his friends’. Together they sounded amazing, but it was nothing compared to Percy’s sole voice. It could have raised her from the dead.</p><p>“What did I tell you? Aren’t they good?” Piper was screaming and she still had trouble hearing, while the whole room sang along the band and clapped their hands to the frenetic rhythm.</p><p>“They are amazing!” she responded, smiling and, mentally, thanking her friend for forcing her to tag along. She should have listened to her a long time ago. She moved her gaze to Piper and, seeing her friend turned to face her with her whole body, quickly copied her. Together they started dancing to the music, while smiling.</p><p>The song ended too soon. But if seeing Percy singing and bouncing was incredible, she was not prepared to the sight of him afterwards. He was <em>panting</em>, sweat coming down his forehead and shining on his bare neck. He was adjusting his messy hair with one hand, his eyes were closed and his mouth open, collecting as much air as possible. His chest moved fast, and he was not only handsome, but <em>sexy</em>. Annabeth felt that she was really understanding what that word meant only in that moment. What she considered even mildly attractive before, could <em>never</em> compare with the sight of the tired and overwhelmed singer, who was taking in the praise of his audience. He opened his eyes and she could read the excitement and disbelief in them. He wasn’t prepared for such a turn out and that filled her chest with pride, which was absolutely unjustified. She was breathless and could not stop staring at him, even while he was drinking. His Adam’s apple was just so –</p><p>Thalia took the floor, distracting her from staring at him, and she was grateful. “Thank you for coming, everybody! Shout out to the Stoll brothers for allowing us to play here. I still can’t stand you guys, but you are the best managers” she said, throwing one hand in the air, holding tight to her wooden stick. From somewhere behind, far in the back of the crowd, someone shouted back at her. “The next song is a Percy’s original. This is <em>Everybody Hates Me But The Horse</em> and, trust me, it’s quite literal” she smiled. The crowd cheered and the song started.</p><p>Annabeth clung an arm around Piper’ shoulders and started moving their bodies to the sound of the upbeat and sweet music.</p><p>*</p><p>At midnight, the band was off – much to Annabeth’s disappointment – and the club became a disco. Stroboscopic lights, a DJ (Cecil) and a lot of bodies moving together to the sound of the newest hits and the oldest tunes mixed together. The set now was playing Beatles’ songs along with K-POP’s and the duo was not as bad as she would have imagined. It was fun going from the sound and lyrics of Yellow Submarine to some non-understandable Korean lyrics. She was having fun, a lot of fun. She never expected to laugh and dance so much in one night, but here she was. Her feet hurt and she was sweating, they kept going back to the counter to buy water – as Piper didn’t want to go to class hungover, the next day, and Annabeth didn’t drink – but she never felt so much joy in one night. She used to go to bed around midnight, after reading a book or watching an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. That day, though, she was hoping never to go home and to keep dancing the night away. And the fact that Percy was standing just a few feet away from them, with his friends, all sweaty and dizzy, had nothing to do with it. Even when she could see the sweat coming down his neck in such a way.</p><p>“Should we go talk to them?” Piper asked, watching in the same direction as her.</p><p>Percy, Jason, Thalia and another girl, dark skin and beautiful curly hair, were dancing and laughing and cheering, throwing up the hand that held their beers. Their movements were uncoordinated, and they kept dodging against other people without much care. Jason was looking around, while dancing and bumping into Thalia. His gaze stopped on them, and they were fast to move their staring somewhere else.</p><p>“You want him?” Annabeth asked, taken by a sudden and never before experienced feeling.</p><p>Piper didn’t answer, just nodded, intimidated. She kept looking over where the group was standing, sighing at the sight of Jason’s smile. Annabeth thought that she should have at least done something for her friends, after she forced her out of the house and managed to let her have one of the best nights of her life, since they moved to New York City. She gained all her strength and her courage and started dancing forward. Step after step, she got closer to the group, until the two friends were standing right next to Percy’s back. Even his back looked good, his muscles showing off the tight T-shirt. He was tall, but just a little taller than her.</p><p>Piper kept giving her scared looks, as if only by standing next to them she could pass out or do something she’d regret the morning after. That wasn’t very Piper-y. Jason was somehow different to her. She shrugged and elbowed her, inviting her to keep dancing as if nothing happened. She had to be smooth, if she wanted her plan to succeed. She took her friend’s hands in hers and started moving them, making big circles in the air. It all seemed so casual to the outside eye, but it was all well thought, actually. She kept moving their arms together, until she decided that was enough. So, trying to be very careful, she nudged the back of the guy standing next to her. It was a little bump, nothing that could actually hurt him, but enough to make him turn to her. She hoped, at least.</p><p>It didn’t work. He didn’t even flinch, as if he didn’t feel her touching him. His ignorance annoyed her more than it should have had. She coughed but kept dancing with Piper.</p><p>“Maybe we could just go and talk” her friend suggested, looking scared but sure about the proposition. Her kaleidoscopic eyes were even more difficult to figure out with all the laser lights and the smoke. Yet she was always so effortlessly beautiful. It would have exasperated Annabeth and made her feel so inferior, if Piper hadn’t been her best friend. Everyone seemed to be outshone by her beauty and she never noticed or cared. Her being always and unapologetically herself was probably the reason: she didn’t need faking it. She was always true to her beliefs and ideas and she didn’t need people to agree with her or to tell her she was right, to praise her work or remind her how good she was. She never cared much about how she looked either and she was always carrying herself with confidence, which made her absolutely stunning. Sometimes she wished she was like her. But she needed to be remembered, to please people and to make something so big and so magnificent that she would be never forgotten, not even in a million years. Like Greek architecture.</p><p>They could have just started a conversation with them, but that wasn’t her plan. She didn’t like acting without a plan. Her whole life was strictly and perfectly calculated: graduated in Architecture by 24, married by 27 and with child by 30. Because having a child too late was never good, but she also needed economic independence and freedom, before having a family of her own. Her parents had her way too young and it didn’t work out for them. She knew what divorce and rushed family meant and it was not great. She would never put her kid through the same pain she had been through. She would wait until she was sure, but not after 30, because that would have been too late for a first kid. Piper, the hopeless romantic, thought Annabeth was mental and always reminded her of that. “<em>Love and just go with the flow. Live a little and never be pushed back by your fear</em>” was her constant advice, especially when it came to dating. It wasn’t easy for her: dating was strange. Asking people how many siblings they have and what are their aspirations in life? Who cares? She never felt a connection with anyone. Well, except for Luke, but that was a long time ago. So she resorted to one night stands here and there, with exceptionally good-looking guys that seemed to have half a brain.</p><p>Piper was different. She loved love and saw romance everywhere, even between Leo and that gorgeous medicine student that always yelled at him for calling her Sunshine. Opposite attract or some <em>bullshit</em> like that. She had a handful of suitors and a few boyfriends and girlfriends in the last five years and was single for the first time. Piper had never been single too long. She liked feeling wanted and making others feel appreciated and desired. She adored dating, especially the first few awkward weeks, when people start to get used to be around each other. Leo and Annabeth always made fun of her for that, joking about how she would always date someone different just to feel the thrill of the beginning of a relationship. She would scoff them and proceed to try on the newest pair of sunglasses Gucci had to offer. Because, on top of everything, her father was an actor and she could afford those kinds of things. And they obviously teased her about it and accepted with a smile all her gifts. Buying them super expensive and, sometimes, useless clothes and supplies was her way of saying thank you and I love you and I appreciate you and your friendship. They had teasing and occasional tagging along to Piper’s late-night hangouts to follow her crushes.</p><p>“Shit!” Piper exclaimed, stopping from dancing and hyperventilating. “He saw me” she squeaked, trying to hide behind Annabeth. She turned around, to see what she was talking about. The group was looking at them. She quickly turned back, feeling her cheeks burn. She was so close to Percy but still couldn’t figure out his eye-colour due to the low lighting of the room. Damn it, she <em>really</em> wanted to know.</p><p>Someone tapped on her shoulder. She took a deep breath, before spinning around, meeting the most beautiful face she had ever seen. Up close, Percy was even more breath-taking. He had long eyelashes that gently tapped on his flawless skin every time he blinked. He smelled nice, even with the hint of sweat, which was actually very attractive. His hair was indomitable, and every lock headed in its own direction. Everything about him made her stomach hurt and took away her breath. “Yes?” she yelled, twisting her body forward, trying to reach his ear to be heard better and catching what he was about to tell her.</p><p>“Hi, I’m Percy” he responded, smiling. O, boy. She internally sighed and became a puddle at the sight. His smile was soft and sweet and seductive. He grinned with half of his mouth, but still managed reach the eyes, surrounded by the cutest wrinkles. She wanted to <em>cry</em>, because she had never been more pulled towards a guy that way before.</p><p>“I know” she replied. She later wished she had said something a little bit smarter.</p><p>“You guys want anything to drink?” he half-yelled half-whispered. A guy leaning down to talk in your ear should not look so good, but, unsurprisingly, Percy did. His T-shirt twitched and just a small portion of his skin came out, near the right hip. She could vaguely see the outline of his abs and her mouth went completely dry. She nodded, answering to his question, unable to say more than “Ah” and looking away from his skin.</p><p>Piper elbowed her back and it hurt. She wasn’t as gentle as she later claimed to have been and she hit right the centre of her spine. She turned to see what that was all about and she met questioning eyes. “He asked if we wanted something to drink” she explained, enjoying seeing her friend flustered and embarrassed. She gave her a pat on her shoulder and tugged her head, turning back to the singer. He was still smiling.</p><p>Jason led them all to the corner of the counter that was more far away from the dance floor. The music was still loud, and it was difficult to hear what Thalia was saying to the other girl. They all ordered and, then, Percy nodded his head towards the exit door. Annabeth was extremely confused. “We can go outside. Just for a few minutes” he told her.</p><p>It was almost one in the morning and it was January. None of them was wearing a jacket and all the girls had bare legs. In conclusion, they were freezing. Shaking their legs and standing as close as possible, they felt a little bit warmer.</p><p>“So you are fans of the band?” Jason asked, staring at Piper, as if he had never seen someone as beautiful as her before. The girl tended to have that effect on people, but she never seemed to notice and always felt a little bit self-conscious. It was her biggest flaw, the one Annabeth had tried to help her with, but always failed.</p><p>“I am! Ever since when you were called <em>Hades Eat Our Socks</em>,” apparently they had a thing for Greek-mythology related names. “but I forced her to tag along tonight” Piper said, looking back at Jason, excited to be finally speaking to him. She had been talking about him for weeks and spent nights daydreaming about his real character.</p><p>“Did you have fun?” he asked then, now talking to Annabeth, genuinely interested in her feedback. It must have been difficult trying to breakthrough, making it big in a world of bands and musicians. Only one in a million did it and everyone wanted to be the exception. But they were good, they were great. She never cared too much for music: she loved old 80s music and listened to whatever she heard on the radio at work or Will’s suggestions of their Friday regular homemade dinners. She had never been a music expert, but she actually never <em>enjoyed</em> herself as much as she did that night, listening to them and dancing along their catchy rhythms and rock-ish songs. If they had an album out, she would have to download it (and she mentally noted down to check out).</p><p>“It was really fun. I loved the sound and some covers were really great, never heard some of those songs before. I really liked ‘, that’s the title, right?” she replied, smiling sincerely. There was something melancholic and sad about that song, that jogged her memory about her mother and how she used to sit with her and draw in the afternoon. She missed those summer days, lazy and warm. The song reminded her of her mother’s hugs and her sweet smile, how she always seemed to know the answer to every question. It made her miss the strawberry smoothie she always made for her, to help her finish up her homework, or how she tucked her bed sheets and kissed her forehead, before turning off the light. She missed the days she spent in her house in New York and sightseeing the city with her mom by her side, telling every detail about some building’s construction and project. Most of all she missed all the years she <em>could have had</em> with her, if her parents hadn’t divorced or her mother hadn’t been taken from her, before they could be together again. She chose New York because that’s where <em>she</em> was from, where <em>she</em> studied, where she could <em>still</em> feel <em>her</em> talking about the Empire State Building. Where she should have come anyways, to finally be with her every day and not just for a few months in the summer.</p><p>“It’s a crowd pleaser, that one. Percy wrote it” Thalia said, smiling fondly. Percy was also grinning, looking down, his cheeks a little red and his hands shoved down into his pants pockets. He was rocking back and forth on his feet, unable to stay still. “He wrote it for his mum” the drummer added. Percy’s ears turned red.</p><p>“Thalia!” he lamented, his voice a little boy-ish now. Annabeth found it was very adorable.</p><p>“O, c’mon now. There’s nothing wrong with it” the unknown girl added. She was younger than the others, she noted. She seemed as if she was trying to pass for a university student, but she was obviously underage. Her fake ID’s must have been even better than hers and Piper’s, if she managed to go in and buy something to drink.</p><p>“I know it, Hazel, but still …”</p><p>That was when Annabeth noticed that neither Piper nor Jason were standing next to them anymore. She looked around, scared to have lost her friend. The two were leaning into each other, laughing and smirking, while whispering to each other, a few feet away from them. Piper’s skin contrasted against Jason and Annabeth could only think that they would have looked good together. If she hadn’t been standing with Jason’s friends, she would have snapped a picture for Leo. Piper bursted out laughing and reclined her head back, smoothly patting Jason’s chest with her hand.</p><p><em>Atta, girl</em>, she thought.</p><p>*</p><p>They ended up staying at the club just another hour. Piper danced with Jason but <em>refused</em> to kiss him three times in a row. It was pretty rough, and his pout and puppy eyes were difficult to ignore even for Annabeth. The quartet decided to leave around one forty-five, given that was a school day and Hazel was, indeed, still in high school. She reassured Thalia she would skip the first few classes of the day. Annabeth stared at Percy the normal amount of time and danced with the group, leaving Piper to her knight in shining armour. She exchanged numbers with Thalia in the end, making her promise to text her about their next gig. When they left, both of her friends were a little down.</p><p>Jason came back.</p><p>“I needed to try one more time” he said, getting closed to Piper, holding her face in his hands. “Please let me” he whispered so closely and needy, as if the girl was food and he had been starving for years.</p><p>Piper was close to give in, she could tell. She leaned forward, but then stopped. That meant only one thing: she <em>cared</em>too much about Jason to give away a kiss as if it was nothing. She wanted to see him <em>again</em> and to dance with him again. She shook her head, closing her eyes to gain courage not to kiss him. He sighed, giving up.</p><p>“I respect it” he smiled sadly. “But just so you know, I won’t give up that easily next time” Jason promised her. Piper’s eyes shined.</p><p>“Is there going to be a next time?”</p><p>“I sure <em>hope</em> so”. He left like that, not looking back. Maybe it was better that way, because after that confession Piper’s legs couldn’t keep her up anymore. She fell down, a smitten and enamoured expression on her face. Annabeth helped her come back up, before anyone would step on her and supported her and her shaky legs.</p><p>“I need – I need to see him again” she said, looking at her friends, almost crying from the desire. Annabeth thought she had never felt like that with a guy before, not even Luke. Wishing to see him again a second after he left, missing him as if he was a part of her after talking to him for an hour. Being star struck by him and his eyes.</p><p>“I got Thalia’s number. You’ll see him again” she promised her friend, walking her to collect their jackets and then to the main road near the club, looking for a cab to go back home.</p><p>*</p><p>Leo asked for the details five times. Which wasn’t a lot for him. The story must have not pleased him and his gossip side. Piper was still dreaming about Jason and his “stormy” blue eyes and scolding herself for not kissing him or giving him her number. But at least they both did their share of online stalking and found the band’s Instagram and twitter accounts and their individuals. Annabeth debated if she should have joined Percy’s 10.254 followers, but then figured not to. There was really no reason to follow him, it was not like she really liked him that way, the way Piper felt for Jason. He was gorgeous and she would have slept with him, but that was it. She certainly did not<em> need</em> to find his (stupidly) adorable selfies with puppy eyes on her feed, whenever she entered to check her friends’ activities. She did follow the band and Thalia, though, and, as suspected, the girl only posted black pictures and depressing quotes and snaps from some of their gigs. She did save one of those, in which Percy’s head was tilted to the left, his eyes closed and his expression of pure ecstasy and pride, because they made it. She also spent an insane amount of time listening to their album, because they did record an album and she even downloaded it on her Apple Music. She hated to admit it, but <em>The Last Olympian</em> was an amazing album. All its ten songs were indescribable, and she wanted to put it on repeat as the soundtrack of her life. The fact that Percy was the lead singer in all of them and his voice sounded clear and warm in her ears had <em>nothing</em> to do with it.</p><p>“Why didn’t you just kiss him?” Leo asked for the fourth time, rocking his slice of pizza in his hand, making grease fall on the carpet. Piper glanced him a warning look, and he immediately posed the slice on a small plate. “You girls are so complicated!” he grunted.</p><p>Annabeth scrolled down her twitter page, looking for something interesting or funny to retweet. But that was a boring Wednesday. The best thing that she found was Will’s list on new Young Adult books that were LGBT+ themed. She screenshotted the list. She needed some new books anyways and Will had been talking about some of those for weeks now.</p><p>“It’s not that I didn’t want to!”</p><p>“Then why … you know what? I don’t wanna know. What time is it?” Leo asked, jamming his hand again (he could not keep them still, like ever), changing the topic. Annabeth figured she should be the one to check the time, since her phone was already in her hand.</p><p>“Eight twenty” she told him, looking at her friends. They were seated on their cheap sofa, while she was laid on the old carpet and her back hurt. It was her turn, since no more than two people could occupy the couch and she hadn’t laid on the floor for a week now. Dinner time was gossip time, because that was the only time of the day they were all home together and not at University or at work. Leo worked in a garage, helping out mechanics and doing their work better than they would do; Piper was a flirtatious waitress at a small café near their apartment and Annabeth worked in a bookstore. She loved it: not many people went in everyday and she could read and study peacefully most of the time. The smell of books and the sound of pages being turned by customers kept her going, when her projects became too complicated for her to handle.</p><p>“I’d better go to my room and finish my paper on quantum engineering. Have to turn that in before midnight” Leo said, getting up from the sofa and smirking at Piper’s shocked face. He was always late on his assignment but was one of the brightest minds and professors always let him through.</p><p>Annabeth, difficulty, rose up and went to sit on the couch, beside Piper. Her friend was laid with her head dangling from the armrest and her feet from the backrest. It mustn’t have been a comfortable position and it would eventually hurt her spine, but that was Piper’s pensive pose.</p><p>“Do you agree with Leo? Should I have kissed him?” she asked her, not moving and sighing profoundly. Her hand went to her hair and messed with it.</p><p>“Do you like him?” Annabeth questioned and Piper only nodded. “Then no. But next time we see him, you flirt with him again” she stated.</p><p>“He was nice, you know. He complimented me and always asked for permission to do anything, even touching my arm. He made me laugh and told me some stories about the band. We chatted about it, told him what my favourite songs are and whatnot” she told her. Annabeth had heard that story in detail at least eight times, during the late cab ride, during breakfast and while she told it to Leo five times that night. But she let her tell it again, because she knew she needed it and she wanted to be a good friend.</p><p>Piper sighed again and straightened her posture, launching her feet on Annabeth’s lap. She didn’t mind, that was something they often did, and it was a nice way to show affection.</p><p>“Bobby and Matthew had a test today and didn’t study, of course” she said, changing topic abruptly. “They were so scared that they called me mid-morning, asking me to fake call the school and let them out early for an emergency”.</p><p>Piper laughed out loud, tears falling from her eyes. “They did not take that from you” she commented. “I never thought of using such an excuse, back in school”.</p><p>They recalled some of those high school memories. How Piper once had a fight with a girl called Drew, when she started picking out on younger kids. That resulted in a month-long detention for Piper, but Drew learned her lesson and never bothered anyone again. Annabeth, on the other side, usually talked back in class, correcting her teachers and pointing out their mistakes in front of everyone, something that no teacher ever liked. She gained her share of after school detention for that, but sometimes was really worth it. Her father didn’t really appreciate that, but he always had a proud look that he was not able to hide away from her.</p><p>High school also meant for them a lot of sleepovers at each other’s places, hang outs with Silena and cheap vegetarian burgers and lots of weekends spent on the beach. California was always warm enough, and they loved studying while lying on the sand, the sound of the waves crushing on the shore and birds flying around. San Francisco was so different from New York, but she could feel how the latter could become a second home away from home. Her father always told that New York was the city for her, with its skyscrapers and modern architecture, but she had a hard time being so far away from him. Even after months, she sometimes woke up, looking for him in the kitchen and only finding Leo in his briefs, singing along to Taylor Swift’s songs. Those were fun mornings, but still left her with a bittersweet feeling.</p><p>“I could text Thalia, if you want” Annabeth suggested, turning to see Piper’s eyes. She was a good liar, but her eyes were always truthful. And now they were soaking in hope.</p><p>She looked at her phone again and went through her contacts, looking for <em>Thalia from the band</em> and she started crafting a quick text in her head. Would have been rude to ask about their next show straight away? Should she start with greeting her and try to build up a little conversation thread before asking?</p><p>Piper looked up, locking their eyes together. She was scared of what her feelings meant. She was questioning if she wanted to see him as part of her beloved crazy band obsession or if she wanted to see if they could work together. She was wondering how two hours spent together could lead to being so confused and hooked up on someone. And, most of all, she was <em>terrified</em> that, whatever was the reason for her feelings, she would have been hurt somehow. But she was also excited, intrigued by how all those fears came out for a random blondie that she met in a club. She wanted to go through with it, appease her curiosity, but do it carefully.</p><p>“Should I start with a greeting?” she asked and started typing the message. Piper smiled widely and seated normally next to her, which was one of the few times Annabeth had ever seen her seated that way. She nudged her shoulder and smiled back at her.</p><p>“Tell her how much we enjoyed last night and that we could have a girl night one day. She seemed fine” Piper said back.</p><p>“How would you know? You spent the entire night with lover boy” Annabeth teased her, making her blush profoundly.</p><p>“I said seem, didn’t I?” They started laughing.</p><p>Writing a simple text took more than they expected, but they were quite satisfied with the result:</p><p>Hi Thalia, it’s Annabeth here (and Piper). We wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed your show last night and we spent the entire day checking your music. Your album is astonishing. <em>Chocolate Chip Cookies In Blue </em>still remains my favourite original of yours, but Piper prefers <em>Welcome To The War</em>, which in my opinion is insane (Piper didn’t agree with the comment, but who cares?). How was your day and your post-concert excitement? Hope Hazel didn’t fall asleep in one too many classes!</p><p>They settled for watching a Marvel movie, since it was way too early to go to sleep, even if they had work in the morning and class in the afternoon the next day. Leo joined them halfway through The Avengers, right when Captain America understood that reference. He liked to comment every scene and, particularly, pointing out how dumb Loki was with Black Widow and how fit Chris Hemsworth was (“No homo!”. “Full homo” Will would have said, if he was there). Annabeth was still stunned by how close and comfortable with each other they were. They had lived with Leo for around five months now, on Piper’s request, who didn’t want to see her old friend from summer camp living on the streets. He spent his childhood and teenagerhood running away from foster care and, reached 18 years of age, the matter was not as easy. His mother didn’t leave much money and he had to start working to eat. When they randomly met him the day they arrived in the City, out of the Grand Central station, took Piper one second to tell him to come and live with them. Their cheap apartment in Manhattan had three rooms and a rent that, split in three, allowed them all to keep a few bucks to spend for burgers once a week and a shopping day a month. Annabeth agreed warmly and immediately, because Leo seemed a genuine guy and the extra money was a good incentive.</p><p>“Chills, literal chill, guys” Leo commented, when the aliens started invading Manhattan in the movie and the battle really began. Endgame was amazing, Infinity War was even more incredible (Age of Ultron was something they really didn’t speak about), but nothing gave Annabeth the thrill as much as the first real <em>Avengers Assemble</em>.</p><p>“It was number five, number five killed my brother” she mumbled in her breath, laughing a little. Leo probably didn’t even notice what he said, but she was too obsessed with the show not to keep the joke running.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Nothing.” Her phone buzzed. “Piper, Thalia just texted me back!” she told her, reading her reply:</p><p>Hello Annabeth (and Piper). I’m glad to hear that you like our music, I will pass the message on to the boys. Yes, Annabeth, you’re right, <em>Welcome To The War</em> is not one of our bests, it was from when we thought it was cool to be ‘alternative’. Still has a pretty good rhythm and it’s always fun to sing live. Self-irony and stuff. Hazel, in the end, decided to skip school alltogether. Hope to see you both at our next concert. It’s on Friday by the way. Same place, same time.</p><p>After that it was easy to just start texting back and forth, finding out about the band, their music, their concerts and Annabeth even got some music recommendations, that she solemnly promised (on the river Styx) to hear. They were obsessed with Greek mythology and that had caused more fights within the band than music itself, apparently. She found it cute and adorable but imagined that Thalia wouldn’t have appreciated it if she said so. They talked until the movie ended, between Thalia’s breaks from work, and they thought it was a good time to say goodbye. Annabeth decided to go to bed and laid under her soft covers (a lot of covers because New York’s winter was too cold to handle for her), earplugs in and the music on. With Percy’s soothing voice singing one of the calmest songs the band had in their discography, she fell asleep easily.</p><p>*</p><p>On Friday the queue was way longer. Given that most University students would have had a rest day on Saturday, everyone was out in the streets. But it was also January and it was impossible to stay out in the open too long. Young people were lining everywhere, outside every possible club and bar, hoping to get inside as soon as possible. Leo and Will decided to go with them that time and wouldn’t shut up for a second. Piper and Annabeth made them listen to the band every day since Tuesday and they seemed to enjoy their music enough. It was more Leo’s cup of tea rather than Will’s, but he thought it was good enough to go through an entire concert. All together they spent a few hours between classes studying in the library, enjoying each other’s company. They went to work in the afternoon and were back to their crappy apartment by six thirty. They had dinner (Leo’s veggie tacos were better than ever that night) and headed out around eight o’clock. The concert wouldn’t start before ten, but they wanted to avoid being too back in the crowd or queueing for longer than ten minutes in the freezing weather. But, as much as they planned everything perfectly, they had been stuck in the line for more than twenty minutes, before they finally got to the head of the queue. Either Connor or Travis was out there selling tickets again, grinning and seeming perfectly fine with just a shirt. Annabeth wanted to ask how he could not be in hypothermia, but figured it was better not to. They had this aura around them that kind of scared her.</p><p>Jason, Percy and Thalia were already inside, drinking something at the bar, while Hazel was discussing with a pale guy next to them. It seemed a heated discussion, the boy was gesticulating, and both were frowning so much that it seemed as if their faces were about to explode. Jason was the first to notice them, as they walked towards the counter. Will wanted to try out his very first fake ID’s, excited to go a little against the law. Leo was shocked to know that he didn’t have one and never drank outside of their home. They were just a year, a year and a half at most, away from the 21<sup>st</sup>milestone, but they couldn’t really wait any longer.</p><p>“Hi Piper” Jason said, approaching them and smiling at the girl. Piper flushed almost immediately. “Guys” he then added, nodding to the other three, never untangling his eyes from Piper’s. They were extremely nauseating, according to Annabeth. She also smiled, noticing that the crush was not one-sided, but that was not the point.</p><p>“Hey, man!” Leo shouted, sitting at the counter. “I’m Leo, this is Will” he introduced himself to the others. Hazel and the pale guy had stopped arguing, sitting next to the two bandmates. Everyone introduced themselves to them. Nico was Hazel’s brother apparently and Will seemed very interested in the information. Or, better, he seemed very interested in <em>Nico</em>.</p><p>They ordered something to drink from one of the Stoll brothers and started talking. Will enjoyed using his fake ID, almost forcing the bartender to check the age, just for the thrill of it. Annabeth had no heart to tell him that that’s how you get busted. Leo did, though. He liked giving his opinion about anything and everything, commenting others’ behaviour and making people laugh with his jokes witty and idiotic at the same time. So, for him, it would have been too difficult not to point out how ridiculous Will was acting. He also added a comment about it not being a good <em>first impression</em> and Will turned so red that Annabeth was worried for a second. He laughed the comment off but seemed a little jumpy every time Nico spoke or, accidently, looked at him. It was amusing to see, but she avoided pointing it out and rather decided to keep the newly acquired knowledge to tease him at home.</p><p>“So we are looking for a keyboardist. We thought we could audition but we have no idea how to reach so many people” Percy was saying, while sipping from his drink. He looked so good just sitting there, the straw hanging between his teeth, pearly white teeth, and his black hair still untamed and soft.</p><p>“Well, it’s not that difficult. You should post something on social media and maybe hang some posters in places where young people hang out. Also, why don’t you say something about it while performing and maybe people will pass the word out” she commented, casually, while staring intensely at her water. She felt stared at, so she turned around and she saw that Percy was looking at her, as if he was really seeing her for the first time. She felt herself blush and swiftly unlocked her eyes from Percy’s beautiful sea-green eyes.</p><p>Only when she was back home, she allowed herself to think about them and noticed that that was the first she <em>actually</em>saw their colour and couldn’t take them off her mind.</p><p>“Yeah… we could do that, thanks –” but he stopped, realising that he didn’t know her name. She smiled at him and told him. He repeated it as if he was trying it out and figuring if it really fitted her persona or not. Then nodded and smiled, which probably meant he was satisfied.</p><p>They went on stage at ten o’clock precisely and sang some new songs and some covers again. <em>Chocolate Chip Cookies In Blue </em>was still Annabeth’s favourite song, and she was glad they sang it. She almost cried on the dance floor, first row, exactly in front of Percy’s microphone. He kept staring at her during the set and even smiled at her a few times, which got her a one too many elbows in the ribs from Piper, at her right. Will, at her left, danced to a few songs and talked with Nico during others, and the other boy didn’t seem so annoyed about it. Leo seemed the one who was enjoying himself more and kept dancing and screaming lyrics at the top of his lungs. Especially during the songs he <em>didn’t</em> know (most of them), crafting lyrics on the go, making Annabeth laugh. Some songs of theirs acquired a new meaning for her, thanks to her Latino friend. She heard the lyrics and put them in another perspective, turning them into something more. Deeper, rawer, sadder and somehow more real, closer to her heart. She loved them more. Now that she heard Leo’s own lyrics, Percy’s words touched her deeper, something she never realised before. She understood them better, how they put their feelings in words in a way that she never heard before, from any other musician.</p><p>When they left the stage before the encore, to drink and rest for a minute, Piper turned to her with inquisitive eyes. She didn’t ask, but Annabeth knew what she wanted to know, and she could even hear asking excitedly why the hell Percy looked and smiled at her, <em>like that</em>. “I don’t know, you should ask him” she said, and her friend pouted, as if she gave her terrible news.</p><p>When they returned on stage, Jason winked at Piper and she smiled <em>so much</em> that Annabeth felt her own muscles hurt in sympathy. No one can smile that much and not feel their muscles screaming. Percy put a hand in his hair and shook it, making it even more messy. Girls in the crowd started screaming at the move and the two boys on the stage laughed. Thalia shook her head, while she sat down, adjusting her drums.</p><p>“Hi, again. We are still <em>Poseidon Is The Best</em> and we are sorry to say this is our last song,” They changed the name of the band every time they were on stage, apparently. “Before we can blow your mind with our final song, we have an announcement to make” Percy said. “We wanted to tell you all that we are looking for a keyboardist and we will soon start auditioning. Check out our social media pages for more info.” He looked at her and smiled. “Thank you, Miss Annabeth for the suggestion, you <em>saved</em> us.” She thanked the low lighting because she was flushing more than what can be considered normal for a simple shout out.</p><p>The final song was a new one. <em>The Hunter </em>was a sad song. Percy looked as if he was fighting hard not to cry in front of the crowd. There must have been almost five hundred people in the room, and everyone was bouncing to the music, but it seemed that just a few were actually listening to the lyrics. <em>A friend says good-bye</em> was the opening line and Annabeth felt it was more than that. As the song went on and the rhythm increased, the emotion shifted from pain to rage. They were angrily playing their instruments, and, behind the singer, Thalia was banging on the drums as she was beating someone. It was <em>more</em> than just a song, it was so obvious, if you just paid attention. She could feel the heartbreak from her death and the rage that caught them, the desire of revenge, the injustice of a life being taken too soon. She turned to look at her friends: they were dancing, all but the two siblings. They were just standing there, Hazel’s hand on Nico’s shoulder, his head tilted to the ground and his eyes shut.</p><p><em>And the stars don’t shine as bright, anymore</em><br/>
You’ll see them again and live on in them<br/>
Rest at last, my brave hunter</p><p>His voice was whispering the last lyrics and his words were almost lost to the sound of the loud drummer. When he opened his eyes, they were dark and full of tears. Before the lights went out, one started falling down his cheek.</p><p>*</p><p>Leo and Will started commenting on every song. They promised they would download their music and start promoting them in their respective courses, in university. Percy, his face freshly washed and no red eyes in sight anymore, smiled and laughed to the sound of their excitement. Thalia was back behind the counter, serving people and taking compliments from them. Jason and Piper disappeared, on the dance floor. Nico and Hazel were next to her and she decided to talk to them, curious about that last song.</p><p>“How did you meet the others?” she asked, sipping a little from her drink. Hazel looked up at her and smiled gently and beautifully.</p><p>“They are our cousins” she explained. Annabeth was struck. None of them looked alike, not even the Grace siblings. “I know, not one bit of resemblance, but our fathers are brothers. Nico and I are half-siblings, which is pretty obvious from the skin tone” She laughed it off.</p><p>“I don’t really have cousins, but I heard that families hardly get along” she said. She knew there was a guy named <em>Magnus</em>, but she never met him.</p><p>“We are quite close, actually. It’s good to have family on your side, especially when things get scary and dark” she said, glancing at Nico, who was looking at the ground.</p><p>“It’s useless, you will not convince me” he said, understanding Hazel’s point. Annabeth didn’t really want to start an argument, but she was fully in the middle of it, now.</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“It’s <em>my</em> life, Hazel, can I have one secret for myself?” he asked, annoyed and a little bit angrily. His voice tone didn’t surprise the girl, which made Annabeth think that it mustn’t have been the first time that he replied so harshly to his sister. The sister snorted but didn’t say any other word on the matter, closing the discussion.</p><p>“Family can also be very difficult to deal with. And annoying” she added, looking at Annabeth and smiling, apologizing for the argument.</p><p>Annabeth smiled back, as a heavy weight rested on her chest. She felt her breath slowly become heavy and her mind started to go back a few years.</p><p>“Tell me about it, girl” she responded, weakly. “Friends are no better” she commented, turning to search for Piper. There was no sign of her on the dance floor. She was left alone with two acquittances, her friends nowhere to be seen. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. “Excuse me, I’m going out for a breath” she said, going for the door.</p><p>She had felt the urgency for air and space. The music had become too loud and she could barely breathe. She knew what caused her hands to start trembling, something like it had happened before, many times. Her body felt heavier and her sight blurred out. It was hard to reach the top of the stairs and get to the side of the street dedicated to the smokers. Better than anything.</p><p>She looked up to the night sky, admiring it and catching her breath. She breathed, and breathed and breathed again, looking at the stars and thinking of nothing. Distraction always worked. Slowly, she was breathing normally again, and her sight was coming back.</p><p>“You okay?” a voice asked her. It took her a minute to see straight again and the first thing that appeared in front of her eyes was jet black hair. Percy was worried about her, she could see it from his eyes, and he was studying her expression, trying to figure her out. He never gave Annabeth the impression of being someone who needed to understand the whole picture. She would have known if he was: she was like that. She needed to know what everyone was like, how they acted and what they felt the whole time. She didn’t like not understanding something. And she had thought that Percy was the kind that didn’t care if he didn’t understand something. Being wrong was something that she liked even less than not understanding. Although, she liked being <em>surprised</em>.</p><p>“Yes, thank you” she said, her voice shook a bit and Percy noted it. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing and pretended to believe her lie. She was grateful.</p><p>“Do you mind if I smoke?” he questioned her, taking a cigarette pack out of his back pocket and lightening one. Smoking was something she hated. But seeing Percy with a cigarette hanging from his lips, while he had his head resting on the wall behind him, his neck stretched and his eyes closed, was way too attractive for her to care. She never had a thing for musicians or smokers or whatever Percy was, but he was so different, and she felt pulled to him. “Did you like the show?”</p><p>“I did. You guys are really good, and I have listened only to your music since I came to see you last time” she said, smiling at him. She copied his stance, looking up. Just a few stars were in the sky. It was sad, she had always been fascinated by the cosmos.</p><p>“I’m glad” he said, turning to look at her briefly. “So, what do you do?”</p><p>Annabeth almost laughed. It was such a strange situation for her. She went out to escape from everyone and from her thoughts and that guy followed her and with just a word calmed her. He had this appeasing and nice nature that made her feel secure with him. Like she could tell him all her secrets and not worry about him telling them to someone else, but actually preserving them. Like she could reveal him her darkest desire and not feel judged by him. Everything about him, even if they never actually talked before, made her trust him.</p><p>“I study. Major in Architecture” she replied, smiling. “And work in a bookstore. You?” she asked, glancing at him, without moving her head. She looked at his side profile for a second, before looking up to the night sky again.</p><p>“Sociology, with a minor in Marine Biology” he said, and Annabeth was surprised, again. “And I play. I don’t really work, but I should” he commented.</p><p>“Why should you?” she asked, now moving to look at him while he responded. His cigarette was half smoked and his eyes fixed on the store on the other side of the road. His side profile was good, and it was so unfair because no one should have <em>such</em> a gorgeous side profile. He sighed and she saw how his chest moved along with his breath.</p><p>“I’m twenty-one and still living with my mom and my stepdad. I can’t have anyone over because my little sister is always in the way and our apartment is so small. The perks of living in Manhattan and studying too far away to even have free time, right?” he laughed. Even if he was complaining, the love he felt for his family was there. In his little smile and his shining eyes, when he mentioned his sister. Annabeth smiled at him and, if she had known him better, she would have put a hand on his shoulder. But she didn’t (yet), so she did nothing.</p><p>“I wish my family was closer” she said, sighing. It was still hard, being so far away.</p><p>“Where are you from?” he questioned, turning to face her. Now they both had one shoulder pressed against the wall, while they talked face to face, close. His cigarette almost ran out.</p><p>“San Francisco. I chose to move to New York to be closer to my mother” she replied, and she hoped he wouldn’t ask more about the matter. He didn’t and it looked like he understood her.</p><p>“So, about that one last song” she asked. “You didn’t upload it on your Apple Music”.</p><p>He smiled, but not with his eyes, and didn’t say a word. There was something terrible behind it and she wanted to know what it was but didn’t want to pressure him. They stayed silent for some time, looking at the cigarette as it ran out. Percy wasn’t smoking anymore. His chest moved slowly to the rhythm of their breaths, and she didn’t feel embarrassed at all. She was out, with a stranger and they were staring at each other, but it wasn’t awkward. It was calming and nice and she felt good, at peace. He started humming to the sound of some songs, moving his head along with it. He closed his eyes and Annabeth noticed that he always closed them every time music was involved. He would lose himself in the rhythm and the sound, would move to another world, where he could live with just his music and his songs. It was so appealing. She smiled at him, memorising every detail of his face, the little pimple on his forehead and his red cheeks and long eyelashes.</p><p>“You know,” he opened his eyes at the sound of her voice. She was caught off guard by his eyes and the intensity of his glare. “If you have a band and want to be known, you should find a name. And stick to it. As much as it might be fun to change it every night, not many people can keep up with it” she suggested, always smiling.</p><p>He smiled as well, his eyes crinkled. “That would be very wise” he almost whispered. They were in their own bubble and didn’t notice the people around them. “Maybe we should.”</p><p>They stayed out for half an hour, whispering and laughing and she forgot why she went out in the first place. They returned inside to their friends and danced with them. When they separated at three in the morning, they promised they would go see the band again. Will stared at Nico a little too much and the pale guy blushed. Jason e Piper took five minutes to stop embracing themselves and two more to say goodbye to each other. He whispered something in her ear, and she smiled, kissing his cheek and turning to go to Leo. A taxi was there to take them all home. Percy stepped in front of her, smiled and gave a piece of paper. She flushed as she rushed to her friends. The other three looked at her, wanting to know what it was.</p><p>“Will, are you crushing at ours?” she asked, trying to shift the focus from her.</p><p>“As always” he said. “Now, what does it say?”</p><p>Her hands were shaking, as he unfolded the paper.</p><p><em>Thank you for your wisdom. Percy x</em>.</p><p>It said, along with a number. She decided it was safe for her to follow him on Instagram now. He followed her back immediately.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>remember looking for an explanation of the meaning of this song, The Night We Met, on the internet, the first time I heard it. I only read a few interpretations from people on this forum and one was about this man and the night he met his future wife, how she was depressed and was about to commit suicide and how they saved each other. Nonetheless he admitted knowing that he would lose her to suicide sooner or later. When I came back reading this chapter, after I had structured the whole story, I just felt it was right to put this song here, as I remembered that little explanation. </p><p>What I’m trying to say is, this story, in some points, is actually dark and things are not really happy, and I would tell you not to continue if you are easily triggered. I’m not saying that the whole story is negative, actually it ends happily and problems kind of start to go away by the end, but the middle is dark in just a few scenes, when you start to realise what is happening. No one is gonna die, really, and everyone will be happy, I can promise you that.</p><p>I want to thank all the people who have read this story and supported me since I started this project: Ila, Fran and Manu, I love you guys seriously, nobody hypes me up as you do and I really, really appreciate you guys; Fra thank you very much for proof-reading it and for your feedback, I really appreciate you too and I'm happy you enjoyed this chapter. Last, but not least, my Ale, you know nobody makes me as comfortable as you do when it comes to writing. </p><p>Also: weekly updates on Tuesdays</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. TWO</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Percy just wants to have a friend</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em> <span class="u">Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual. I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</span> </em>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em> <span class="u">Trigger Warning: car accident and death, at the end of the chapter, you’ll know when you get there.</span> </em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b> <strong>PERCY</strong> </b>
</p><p><b> <strong> <em>Empty your sadness, like you’re dumping your purse</em> </strong> </b> <b> <strong> – The Kids Aren’t Alright, Fall Out Boy</strong> </b></p><p>Percy woke up with Estelle jumping on his bed, screaming that breakfast was ready and he was late for his classes. His head hurt and spun, and he regretted ever agreeing to drink with Jason the night before. It was Sunday night, his friend had been texting Piper non-stop since Friday, while he had yet to receive a text from Annabeth. Not that he was into her, <em>per se</em>, but he was surely intrigued by her and no other girl had ever ignored him so evidently. She seemed to carry a heavy weight on her shoulder and there was something about her mother, something that Percy perceived as a connection between them. He had always been good at reading people, understanding what kept them grounded and helped them going on and on. But the blonde curly girl, who seemed so joyful and so <em>broken</em> at the same time, was a mystery he couldn’t read, and it <em>infuriated</em> him.</p><p>In conclusion, he was (im)patiently waiting for her to text him and figure her out.</p><p>“<em>Stella</em>, stop. Please” he begged her sister, patting her little thigh. She stopped and let her body fall on his bed. He absolutely <em>adored</em> her, and he had never felt happier than when she was born and he kept her in his arms for the first time. He had <em>hated</em> her when she used to cry all night and he couldn’t sleep before an exam, but now she was four and their sibling issues had been resolved a long time before. She was still young, but old enough, the perfect age. If only she stopped waking him up at seven in the morning, jumping on his bed until he eventually kicked her out of his room…</p><p>“Mommy told me to wake you” she said, smiling widely at him and shaking her black head, just like Percy’s. Her eyes were blue, like Paul’s, not sea-green like Percy’s. He took his from his father or, as Percy learned to know him, <em>sperm-giver</em>. <em>Lost at sea</em>, that was what his mother said about him. His uncles never mentioned him, not around him at least, so he only had one picture of him. He had sea-green eyes, jet black hair, black beard and a tan. He was smiling in the picture, in front of the same sea that would have taken him away from his family, sun-crinkles that characterised him as someone prone to smiling. Percy was the spitting image of his father, but he always felt so <em>inferior</em> to him.</p><p>Nobody told him anything about Po, but staring at that picture, he spent years of his life creating a story around him. He was powerful and gentle, always smiling and helping others, loved the sea and surfing and never once hurt someone on purpose. He was a biologist and spent time on his boat and under the sea, surrounded by fish that respected him and thought of him as one of them. It was silly for a twenty-one-year-old man to still imagine his late father that way, but he did. And sometimes his dream went deeper. In his mind fish loved the man so much that they asked him to stay with them forever and he complied because the sea was his true calling.</p><p>And it was embarrassing for him to be still creating these stories, but it’s not like anyone would know. It was better believing those messed up fantasies of him than accepting the truth: he didn’t care about him (or his mum) enough to stick around. He <em>knew</em> he had a six-month pregnant girlfriend at home, but still went for a month-long scientific research with some other biologists and researchers. If they were to be successful, that would have been their breakthrough in the field. It was <em>selfish</em> of Percy to be angry with him for trying to make it in <em>his</em> world, but he was. He had always been. He had never returned home, didn’t even <em>meet</em> his son and he grew up without a real dad, until Paul came around when he was fifteen. The fact that his mum started dating his English teacher was still mortifying, but that was a whole other story.</p><p>“Good morning, sweetheart” his mum greeted him, while he moved slowly into the kitchen and yawned. He went to kiss her cheek and then sat at his usual place at the table, smiling at Paul, who was sipping his coffee while reading the paper. His mum gave him a plate of blue pancakes (<em>long story</em>) and sat beside him, drinking from her <em>#1 mum</em> blue mug he got her when he was seven. He ate as fast as he could, before rushing to his bedroom to get ready for classes. It took him two hours by car to get to Stony Brook University. After three years he got used to the routine and didn’t actually mind rushing his way to university, nor still living with his parents. All his classes started after ten, anyways, which meant that he could be on time if he managed to leave around seven thirty, traffic considered. He never really was on time, but still was one of the best students in his courses, so his professors tended to let go.</p><p>He picked up Jason at seven twenty-two (a record, for the two of them) and they got to their University at nine forty-five, which was also an incredible record. For once, <em>both</em> of them were on time, actually they were early. He walked Jason outside his Meteorology lecture class and waited with him there. His friend told him about everything he talked with Piper: how she cut her own hair and how she laughed on the phone when he told her the stapler story, how cute she was when she was half asleep, pretending to be awake just to talk to him. He also told him that he had started working on a song, which was strange. He usually was good with sounds, but not lyrics, that was Percy’s department. But he wrote a few words and they were good, <em>great</em> even. They decided they would have worked on it in the afternoon, when they had a break from lectures.</p><p>“Tell me about Annabeth” his friend said, wiggling his eyebrows and adjusting his glasses.</p><p>“What about her?” he asked back, crossing his arm in front of his chest and his legs in front of him, resting his back on the wall.</p><p>“C’mon <em>Kelp Head</em>, you know what I mean” he said, laughing and giving him a look that said, ‘<em>you know that I know that you know what I mean’</em>.</p><p>But Percy was genuinely confused. “I don’t really know, <em>Stapler</em>. Enlighten me” he said.</p><p>“You do know what that sounds like, right?” Jason said, on the verge of crying from laughter. His face was completely red now.</p><p>“Not everyone is a nerd, <em>Superman Wannabe</em>” he responded, annoyed. It seemed like that every sentence Percy said was a quote from some comics or nerdy movie that he was not aware of and that Jason, obviously, knew.</p><p>“<em>Fifty Shade</em>? That’s literally the most famous scene that opens to –” he was saying, but he was cut off. Percy picked his shoulder a little too hard and sent him to the floor, while he was still laughing. Somehow it just made him laugh more.</p><p>“Fuck off, Grace” he yelled, walking away to go to his own class. Thank the gods, Jason seemed to have forgotten the whole ‘tell me about Annabeth’ talk.</p><p>“We’re not done! You can’t escape me” his friend yelled back. So, he did <em>not</em> forget it.</p><p>*</p><p>When lunch time came, Percy was <em>sure</em> he was about to pass out. That Monday had been the longest Monday in history and he just wished to go back home to his bed and sleep. Those were the days he would have liked to live closer to University. His next class was in three hours, which was enough time to have lunch, but not <em>properly</em> nap in his world. A nap that doesn’t last at least two hours isn’t a nap, and he already promised Jason to work with him on the song he had started writing. If he had a house near the campus, he would have gone there and crashed on the couch for two hours, while Jason talked to him, sitting on the other side of the sofa. But, for now, they had to work sitting in the uncomfortable chairs of Stony Brook’s Library, keeping as quiet as they could. The bassist was telling him what he was trying to convey in the song, the feelings that had driven him to write and what message he was passing. Percy was <em>astonished</em>. Jason had always been <em>stiff</em>, in a good way, he was never unbalanced with his feelings, never showing too much or getting out of his comfort zone. Sitting there, talking about how Piper made him feel just by talking to him, he was expressing every single emotion he felt and trying to put into words how star struck he was by the girl.</p><p>Percy only ever had two girlfriends in his life, and a share of crushes on dudes from his high school that he was too afraid to act upon. Not that he was closeted. He never really came out, everybody kind of knew and he didn’t care what others thought of him. He was always himself and even if anyone had anything to say about it, they could have talked to his fist (or Jason’s. Or Thalia’s). Anyways, Percy had two girlfriends, two serious stories that only lasted a couple of months at best and he never even once has felt as Jason was feeling. He never felt that connection, never cared about them so much to fall asleep while talking, never daydreamed about kissing them or wanting just to be close.</p><p>“So here the beat would go a bit higher and you … Percy are you with me?” Jason waved a hand in front of his face, shaking him from his thoughts. Truth was he had no idea what his friend said about the song.</p><p>“Sorry” he said, smiling sheepishly. “What were you saying?”</p><p>“Are you okay, man?” he asked, a concerned look on his face.</p><p>“Yeah, everything’s fine” he told him, smiling again. “So, Piper turned you into a poet”.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say it” he turned red, till the point of his ears. “But she <em>inspired</em> me. It’s good to write down feelings. Better than writing about how the world has failed you and the war against yourself has started” he laughed.</p><p>“<em>Welcome To The War</em> is one of our best songs to play live!” Percy protested. “It may not have been a Grammy-worthy song, but it’s good” he encouraged his friend. When he had come forward and played them the song, Percy played <em>Piccola Stella</em>, which he had written for his sister (with some help from Nico, but he had asked him not to tell anyone), and Jason had felt self-conscious about his song ever since. Percy had told him it was different, that they had different kind of inspirations and he just needed to find his. And now he <em>did</em>, and the result was <em>magnificent</em>.</p><p>Jason had always felt as if writing lyrics was Percy’s business, so he concentrated on writing the music. They were a modern and younger version of <em>Elton and Barnie</em>, according to Thalia. She wrote along with them, but she very much preferred spending her time beating on her drums, rather than writing down feelings. She was always the one to give constructive feedbacks and criticism about lyrics and music, and only when she considered a song perfect, the work was done and they would start rehearsing and recording.</p><p>“Thanks, bro, but we both know who writes the best songs” Jason said, patting his shoulder, filled with pride for his best friend. It was nice to be friends with someone who always complimented you and lifted you up, instead of dragging you down. “But I’m sure this song can be as good as yours. Or closer”.</p><p>The song turned out to be great, with heart-breaking and romantic lyrics mixed to an uptight rhythm. Only by really paying attention to the lyrics, real meaning of the song came out and that was what Percy loved most about music. Everyone likes what they want about a song, either preferring the music or the lyrics, giving personal interpretations to the song, but only them, as writers and musicians, really knew what those songs really meant. And from there, his mind made the connection on its own.</p><p>They had played <em>The Hunter</em> for hundreds of people and spoke about it to dozens of them, but no one before Annabeth actually paid attention to the lyrics. It was the most personal song of theirs and that Friday was the first time someone questioned him about it, and he had no idea what to say. He just wanted to know more about her. Why did she listen to the lyrics and was not dragged by the music? How could she catch the few very personal quotes in a song about life and sisterhood and see the deeper connection they all had with it? They wanted to celebrate Bianca, to celebrate her life and her spirit, her love for nature and her good aura, but they ended up writing some extremely sad lyrics. And only Annabeth ever noticed.</p><p>On the way back home, around five in the afternoon, Jason worked on the music some more, asking for his feedback, changed some lyrics and tried to sing the song. It was hard without instruments. They knew their music, but they still needed the guitar to understand if what they created <em>actually</em> worked. Therefore, Jason was done messing around half an hour in the ride back. Usually, if Percy drives on the way to University, his cousin would have driven on the way back, but he was totally hooked up that day and he made an exception for once.</p><p>“Annabeth” Jason said, and Percy sighed. It was too much to hope that he would have forgotten about the topic. “What did you talk about? Why did you give her your number? What do you think about her? Are you into her?” he started asking, without even breathing.</p><p>“Woah, buddy calm down” he said, laughing, his eyes still glued on the street. “First of all, there’s nothing to say about Annabeth. She was out when I went for a smoke and she suggested that we should find a name for the band and stick to it, if we wanted to make it in the industry” he shrugged. “I said something like thank you for your wisdom and figured she was nice enough to talk to and gave her my number”. That was his explanation, Jason didn’t need to know that Annabeth actually fascinated him, and he wanted to know everything that passed through her head. He never, ever, once had a problem with figuring someone out, but with her. He was just curious enough. “And just for you to know, she hasn’t texted me” he added in the end.</p><p>“How not?” he asked, shocked. “Piper said that she has been totally obsessed with your voice ever since she heard the band for the first time. She saw her staring at your Instagram account, especially at your <em>abs</em>, apparently” he said, smirking. Percy felt his cheek turning red. It was not that he was not used to girls appreciating him or his body, on the contrary, they have been very outspoken, especially since he had started playing in a band. But Annabeth was a gorgeous girl, with princess curls and magnetic grey eyes, and <em>she</em> found <em>him</em> attractive. He might not be into her like that (yet), but his mother raised no fool or blind.</p><p>“Piper said she doesn’t want to bother and that she blushed a lot, when she said your name”. <em>What? </em>“I texted her to ask why she hasn’t messaged you and she was with her, at her workplace apparently” he explained, seeing his confused look.</p><p>So <em>she</em> may be into <em>him</em> like <em>that</em>? “She was probably caught off guard. Anyways, why are you so invested in my life?” he asked, frustrated.</p><p>“Because you haven’t had anyone in years. Your last real relationship was with… Rachel and that was, what? Three years ago? C’mon man you can’t live out of one night stands all your life” he said, raising his eyebrows. Percy really wanted to get back at him, bringing up how he only had one relationship when he was eighteen and that Reyna broke up with him because she fell in love with another girl and came out to them as an asexual. But he let it go. He did his share of teasing him about it and called him <em>Ross</em> for a whole month, before he threw him a basketball and almost broke his nose. They decided to get over with it then, before someone would get seriously hurt.</p><p>Also he didn’t really have many one-night stands. He still lived at home and he couldn’t really bring back a stranger. Thinking about it, his love life was even drier than what Jason thought.</p><p>The topic changed to their next exams and concerts, but the image of Annabeth flushing while restocking books didn’t leave his mind for a second.</p><p>*</p><p>He woke up on Tuesday with a text from Annabeth. He was back home by seven and had a fast dinner, before studying a bit. At midnight he was in his bed, tucked in his blue sheets, cursing himself for not moving to Stony Brook dorms when he was a freshman. He the, reminded himself that he did it to help his family, save some money while his mum was still writing her book and working at her candy shop <em>Blue Candies</em> (on his behalf, he was seven when he named the place) and balancing her marriage with a two-year-old in the mix. He had volunteered babysitting time from the start, convinced her mother to hire Thalia, Hazel and Nico at the store (Thalia was more than <em>happy</em> to leave when she found the barista job) and promised not to play at home. They usually rehearsed at Thalia and Jason’s apartment, receiving a lot of complaints from the old woman downstairs.</p><p><b> <strong>Hi, this is Annabeth</strong> </b> <em> (00.34)</em></p><p>Hi, Annabeth! How are you?<em> (6.54)</em></p><p><b> <strong>I’m good, thanks, you?</strong> </b> <em> (7.06)</em></p><p>I’m late to pick up Jason. TTYL<em> (7.22)</em></p><p>The most awkward and embarrassing text chain of all time. Jason didn’t have to know at all, or he would have made fun of him till the end of time. But <em>of course</em> Piper had already told him, because their new job as an almost-maybe-couple was gossiping about their best friends’ (love) life. Thankfully, he didn’t care about the texts and showed Percy his recording of the song they wrote the day before. The music was genius and worked brilliantly with the lyrics and his voice blended perfectly. That day nothing really happened, he spent the afternoon studying in the library with some mates and waited for Jason to finish his classes, before going back home. They got to New York at six and at nine they were at the bar. They drank something and convinced the Stoll brothers to let them play regularly on Fridays and one other night every week.</p><p>*</p><p>Wednesday was pretty much the same. He had texted Annabeth that he would have talked to her later, but he never did. He noticed it only when he was in his room at ten o’clock in the evening, studying his marine biology lecture from that same day. He went to his bed, forgetting about studying and opened the conversation with the blonde girl. It physically hurt him to see those four cringey texts but forced himself to look past them.</p><p>We wrote a song, but we still have no idea</p><p>what to call the band <em>(22.34)</em></p><p><b><strong>Have you ever considered something that is not …</strong></b> <em>(22.42)</em></p><p><b><strong>Brace yourself…</strong></b> <em>(22.42)</em></p><p>Annabeth was the type to send more than one text. Good to know.</p><p>You are always so wise <em>(22.44)</em></p><p><b> <strong>Thank you, it’s my best quality </strong> </b> <em>(22.44)</em></p><p><b> <strong>But seriously, have you ever? </strong> </b> <em>(22.44)</em></p><p>Not really, no. What would you suggest? <em>(22.45)</em></p><p><b> <strong>You are nerds! </strong> </b> <em>(22.46)</em></p><p><b> <strong>Something that represent you </strong> </b> <em>(22.46)</em></p><p>Mythology is cool and it’s in my blood <em>(22.47)</em></p><p><b> <strong>Again, nerd! </strong> </b> <em>(22.48)</em></p><p><b> <strong>It’s in your blood? </strong> </b> <em>(22.48)</em></p><p>It’s in my blood! But I will not disclose more<br/>
about the topic for the time being <em>(22.50)</em></p><p><b> <strong>I like mysterious guys </strong> </b> <em>(22.51)</em></p><p><b><strong>HOW DO YOU DELETE A TEXT?</strong></b> <em>(22.52)</em></p><p>You can’t. But, don’t worry, it’ll be our secret<br/>
<em>(22.53)</em></p><p>They texted for hours. She told him all about her new book and how addictive it was, he told her his theory on why Poseidon was the superior Olympian and should have been the King of the gods instead of Zeus. She didn’t agree, she believed that <em>Athena</em> (Athena for gods’ sake!) was better, being not only wise, but strategic and that she would have made a better ruler than any of the gods. Women do not reason with their genitalia and actually <em>think</em>. Percy did not feel outraged by the comment and the slight prejudice on the male spices at all and only texted back <em>#MenAreTrash, wbk</em>, which made her laugh. But, really, men are trash. He was a real mythology nerd and he knew what the gods had done, but still had a few things to say about Greek goddesses.</p><p>You know Athena punished Medusa for<br/>
what Poseidon did, right? <em>(00.12)</em></p><p>The long discussion about Greek gods and goddesses lasted until one in the morning, concluded by Percy. As much as Annabeth wanted to make him believe that he was the nerd, she was no better. At all. They wished each other goodbye and went to bed.</p><p>*</p><p>The day after was similar. He woke up and texted Annabeth, and kept texting her throughout the entire day, annoying her during her morning shift at the bookstore and during her classes in the afternoon. He told her they would have played at <em>Hermes’ Hut</em> on Friday night and she promised she would be there. She told him her favourite songs and how she was starting to listen to Fall Out Boy and Bon Jovi thanks to their covers and how she actually liked them. He figured she was not much of a music nerd as she was with books, movies and tv series, but that was okay, because he was there to help navigate in the amazing world of songs and sounds. When the idea came to his mind, he didn’t really let himself think of what he was actually doing. If he did, maybe it would have been less awkward.</p><p>“I made you this” he said, when they saw each other again that Friday night. It was the first time in a week, and she looked more comfortable around him. Leo, Will, Piper, everyone was there and they were staring at him. “I know it’s a little old-fashioned, but, uhm, I hope you like it?” He gave her the CD, scratching his neck, sheepishly. The <em>Annabeth Songs She Must Listen To</em> CD he made her had twenty-five of his favourite songs. From Beatles to Harry Styles, he could listen to everything, even if Fall Out Boy remained one of his favourite bands.</p><p>When he thought of mixing her a CD, he never thought it could have been perceived differently from a <em>male friend</em>introducing a <em>female friend</em> to the world of music, but Piper’s and Jason’s grin spoke for themselves. It annoyed him how they could not be <em>friends</em> without everyone thinking there was something else. (Rationally, he knew it was not because they were becoming friends, but because of Annabeth’s not-so-subtle appreciation of his body and his description of Annabeth as a fairy princess with shiny curls. Jason laughed a lot when he described the girl that way, that morning, on their way to University. On his behalf he had to say that Annabeth had posted a picture the night before and she looked exactly as Rapunzel from Tangled. Which he definitely watched because of his sister. <em>Definitely</em>.)</p><p>She caught her breath and blushed, taking the CD and opening the box. He had inserted a track list and her eyes were eagerly reading each title, trying to catch a song she knew between those. A big smile was resting on her face and he could see her eyes shineD for a second, when she realised that he took time to mix a fricking CD for her. Her hair was styled in a single braid that emphasized the curves of her face. It took Percy a moment to stop himself from staring at her, outshone by her beauty.</p><p>“I – I don’t know … nobody ever …” she tried to say. “Thank you. I don’t know half of these songs and I can’t wait to listen to them” she said, finally. She looked at him, her grey eyes clearer and happy, her smile bright and her cheeks red. He was quick to smile back and nod, as to say ‘No problem’.</p><p>Back in the changing room, or better the staff bathroom of the club, Jason wiggled his eyebrows and asked again about Annabeth. He didn’t say anything but kept checking his hair and kept vocalizing. Thalia, in the end, tired of her brother’s annoyance, elbowed him and told him to shut up, or she would have kicked in him where it would have really hurt. He kept quiet, and distant from his sister, until it was time for them to go on stage. As always, Thalia went first, Jason second and Percy last. He positioned him behind the microphone and grabbed his guitar, looking at the crowd. In the front row was Annabeth, her eyes turned to Piper as they kept talking about something. He smiled, before introducing the band and taking everyone’s attention. When Jason started playing the first chords to <em>The Night We Met</em> by <em>Lord Huron</em>, he closed his eyes and let the music drag him.</p><p>*</p><p>He wasn’t controlling his feet. On the contrary, his feet were controlling him. It was ten in the morning, too early for him (usually), and he was out in the cold February wind, his headphones in his ears and his phone in his hand, looking for a song to play to wake him up. When he settled for <em>Glory Days</em> by <em>Bruce Springsteen</em>, a text came in.</p><p><b> <strong>I think Everybody Wants To Rule The World<br/>
is the best song ever created </strong> </b> <em>(10.04)</em></p><p><b> <strong>No. Scratch that </strong> </b> <em>(10.06)</em></p><p><b> <strong>Is it normal to cry to The Kids Aren’t Alright?</strong> </b> <em> (10.07)</em></p><p>He smiled, reading Annabeth texts. She was listening to his CD. Those songs were not even the best in his playlist, but, actually, were the most famous. He figured that if he had to introduce her to music, he should have done it gradually, not by making her listen to the most normal songs he listened to, the one that everyone loved.</p><p>Means you understood the song <em>(10.11)</em></p><p>He was almost knocked out by the busy New York crowd, too focused on texting the girl back to actually care about where he was and what he was doing. He entered the coffee shop and waited patiently for his turn, standing behind a couple of tourists that was discussing passionately about where to go next. He was half tempted to suggest them his favourite spot in Central Park, but kept it to himself, while he texted Annabeth. She was commenting and loving every song he put in the CD and, apparently googling the artist (<b><strong>Do you listen to One Direction?</strong></b>). His music might have been alternative, but he could dance along to extremely mainstream artist as <em>One Direction</em> with his sister and enjoy it. And History was a damn good song, in his opinion.</p><p>With coffee in one hand and his phone in the other, he walked faster, to get to his destination before the breakfast went cold. The wind entered his bones and froze them, but he still was able to get to the bookstore with hot coffees in one hand, while texting Annabeth with the other.</p><p><b><strong>Someone came in. Ugh, it was such a calm morning</strong></b> <em>(10.24)</em></p><p>“I would wonder why you keep working in here if you …” he stopped himself, when Annabeth turned to him and smiled, relieved that it was just him and not a customer. He smiled back and started humming to the song that was playing in the room. “Wait. This is one of my favourite songs, <em>Fire</em> by <em>PVRIS</em>” he said.</p><p>Annabeth shrugged and tilted her head. “It’s your CD, yes” she said. “Is that coffee?” she questioned, her eyes shining.</p><p>“Thought I could annoy you, but also be nice. So, you like the music?” He gave her her drink and sat down next to her behind the cash desk. He drank his black coffee happily, relieved by the warmth that it brought him.</p><p>“Cappuccino!” she exclaimed, sipping from her cup. Her light lipstick left a mark on the white paper, which he thought was adorable.</p><p>“I remembered you said you prefer it to black coffee” he explained. He was close to flushing, because she had told him about her preferences in such a casual way, that he shouldn’t have remembered it.</p><p>“I do. Thank you” he shrugged, as to say: it’s nothing. “Really. You are very nice” she smiled, her eyes shining. “Why did you come? Looking for a book?”</p><p>“Not at all! Uhm, I wanted to know your opinion on the CD” he lied, nervously scratching the back of his neck, too embarrassed to look at her face. He didn’t know why he went to the bookstore. He just woke up and felt himself dragged to her.</p><p>“Oh! It’s really good. I never enjoyed music much before, but this is so good! I wish I discovered it sooner” she said, excited. He looked up. She had a big smile on her face and was tugging her beautiful blonde curls behind her ear. “I was, actually … I wanted to ask you if, maybe … only if it doesn’t bother you… like only if you have time …” she looked up and their eyes met. He could not move anymore.</p><p>“Yes?” he almost whispered.</p><p>The bell at the front door of the bookstore rang, making their eye contact stop. Percy blushed and got up, moving towards one of the bookshelves, checking books, just to calm down his breathing and re-collect himself. Nothing happened and he had been in way more intimate position with girls and boys in the past, but never felt like that before. He just couldn’t help himself from moving and could have happily spent hours looking at her gorgeous grey eyes. Let’s be honest, who <em>has</em> grey eyes? He had never seen someone so beautiful until he saw Annabeth for the first time. Jason’s words echoed in his head. <em>Tell me about Annabeth</em>. He said that so simply, as if he knew something that Percy could not comprehend. Was he into her? She was cute, with her sweet smile and the <em>I-Know-It-All</em> attitude that faded when music was involved. She was a puzzle he wanted to solve, and, yes, she made him laugh with her theories about Greek mythology. But he was <em>not</em> into her like that, it was all friendly banters and exchange of opinions and interests. Also, they had been knowing each other for like three weeks, there could not…</p><p>“Are you that interested in cooking?” Annabeth’s voice interrupted his thoughts.</p><p>“What?” he turned to look at her, noticing that the person that entered before had already left the bookstore.</p><p>“You have been staring at those cooking books for five minutes, now” she said, pointing at the books that he was, apparently, looking at while giving himself a pep talk.</p><p>“Ah, yes. I mean no. I mean… Argh” very talkative, good job. “My mom told me I should start learning some cooking, but it’s not really my thing, you know”.</p><p>“What is, then? Your thing?”</p><p>“Play my music and look handsome doing it”.</p><p>She smiled and nodded but didn’t say a word. Somehow Percy ken that she wasn’t nodding and agreeing with the playing music part, and it made him extremely happy.</p><p>“So when do you get off?” he asked.</p><p>“Twelve thirty”.</p><p>“Okay, wanna go for cheeseburgers after?”</p><p>“Sure”.</p><p>“Good”.</p><p>“Good”.</p><p>He sat, pleased with himself, and started turning pages of a cooking book, without really reading any of those recipes. He sang along to the CDs. He glanced at Annabeth and what she was doing, from time to time, grinning. When he found her glancing back at him, he would turn faster than the speed of light and blush. It was a good morning</p><p>*</p><p>McDonald’s was Percy’s favourite fast food franchise, he absolutely adored it and loved their cheeseburgers. Annabeth, of course, <em>hated</em> it. She dragged him away from his happy place to a biological and vegan place she always went to with Piper. <em>Vegan</em>! How do you have a cheeseburger if you are in a vegan place where people do not eat meat? He obviously whined all the way to the place, which he refused to learn the name of, and while they were waiting for their burgers to be ready. The more he whined, the more Annabeth laughed, and she had a beautiful laugh and it was good to see her happy. He still remembered how sad her eyes looked the night they had their first real talk and how much he had hated them. He didn’t like seeing people that weren’t happy. The whole point of life was living it and being happy and never waste a second of it, not knowing when it would end. He had banned sadness from his, a long time ago. He only allowed to be taken by his emotions when writing and performing his music, and only because that was his method of dealing with and letting go of them.</p><p>“Have you figured the name out yet?” she asked, resting her face on the palm of her hand. They were seated on the opposite side of a little table, their knees touching under it and their face as close as they were that Friday night.</p><p>“No, it’s hard” he snorted, putting his elbows on the table and his face in between his hands.</p><p>“You write songs and can’t come up with a single name for your band?” she asked, laughing. Her hair moved along with her head, while she was shaking it. He was mesmerized.</p><p>“We have tons of names, but finding one and sticking to it? That’s hard. What if we choose the wrong name?” he asked. “It can’t be too complicated, but not stupid or easily forgettable. We need to stand out and intrigue people with it alone” he reasoned. She nodded along with his flow of thoughts, which he supposed it meant she was agreeing with what he was saying.</p><p>“So, you only like Greek Mythology?” she asked.</p><p>“And music” he added.</p><p>“Who do you listen to, the most?”</p><p>“I would say Fall Out Boy, The Maine, All Time Low and some classic old rock: Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac and so on. You know?” he said, listing some of his favourite artists. He was truly inspired listening to their song. He wished he was alive during the golden era of half of them. Or during Live AID and rock concerts of those kinds, those were the times, man. If only they could be as good as they were, or still are, in some cases.</p><p>“Actually, not really” she confessed, smiling embarrassed.</p><p>He rose up from his chair, before he could stop himself. “What?” he shouted. Everyone turned to stare at him, looking confused or amused by the reaction. He sat down, awkwardly, as Annabeth hid her face in her arms. He could still hear her laugh.</p><p>“You – <em>idiot</em>!” she said, lowering her hands and laughing out loud, her head completely tilted backwards. She was almost choking. “Too much salty water does not help your brain, I see. Now I understand why Poseidon is your favourite Olympian” she shook her head again, but now she was smiling, looking right at him.</p><p>“Not everyone can be a <em>wise girl</em> as you are”</p><p>“Was it supposed to be an insult, because it sounded more like a compliment to me” she said, her smile only growing wider and wider.</p><p>He sighed. It did sound like a compliment. “You’re a nerd” he said, trying to get back at her.</p><p>“You are as nerdy as I am” she scoffed. “You’re such a … <em>Seaweed Brain</em>!” she snapped her fingers, happy with the nickname she found for him. That was way better than his.</p><p>“Anyways” he said, looking in her eyes and smiling.</p><p>“Anyways” she responded.</p><p>They didn’t talk much until they were called to collect their burgers. He rose up again, offering to collect both their orders. They ate, still bickering with each other, smiling and laughing. After all, the vegan food she forced him to eat wasn’t bad. It was delicious. But of course he couldn’t admit it to her. So, instead, he decided the smart to say was something like:</p><p>“I guess I just ate my vegetable intake for the month. I can skip salad at dinner, finally”.</p><p>It wasn’t that funny, still Annabeth laughed.</p><p>*</p><p>Sunday his alarm went off at eight and he regretted suggesting having to audition in the morning. The night before he was out with Jason and Nico until four in the morning and he could not function with just four hour of sleep and all the teasing about Annabeth he had to bear. He did his share with Jason and Piper, but his cousins were way more interested in his “date” with the blond girl. It didn’t matter how many times he told them it was a friendly hang, they didn’t believe him. In the end he decided to give in and let them have their fun. When they were walking home, though, they apologised and said they were just joking and knew that there was nothing between the two and that they were happy he was making friends. It was nice of them, but he reminded them that he had friends. “Sure you do” Nico said, “<em>Us</em>” Jason added.</p><p>He groaned, getting up from the bed and forcing himself to stay awake, at least until he had washed his face. That was the first thing he did when he reached the bathroom. It took him way longer than usual to get ready, but around nine he was in the kitchen, breakfast in front of him, a beanie on his head, the softest sweater he owned and a coffee. He ate as quick as he could without choking, kissed his mother goodbye, patted Paul’s shoulder and was out in the late February cold. He couldn’t possibly wait for March to come around, when he could finally go out with his leather jacket and feel a warmer wind in his face.</p><p>He got to Thalia and Jason’s apartment with just a few minutes of delay, which he considered a victory. One of his cousins buzzed him in and he took the elevator for the twenty sixth floor. They lived alone, but between their mother’s heredity and their father’s allowance they were rich. Like, <em>real</em> rich. Even if Thalia worked and Jason decided to not live in the dorms, to spare some money and be with Percy, they could not work a day in their life and still be living better than half of the American population. It was <em>unfair</em>, that’s why they worked and donated monthly to as many non-profit organizations as possible and avoided showing off their money. The only thing they really accepted was the big apartment in Manhattan. It was big and classy and elegant, and Percy’s house could stay in theirs three times and a half. One of the hundred rooms (actually there were seventeen rooms, they counted them once) was big and they used it for rehearsing. Percy’s favourite guitar was there, while he had his old, scrappy, acoustic guitar back home. It was one play close from falling apart, but he loved it and treasured it, as it was once his father’s.</p><p>When he stepped foot in the apartment, he was dragged right into the eye of the storm. At least fifty people were in there, talking and laughing and none of them really gave him a second stare. They were mostly discussing what song they were thinking of playing for the band and which song of theirs they liked most. He was happy to hear that most of them listened to their songs and liked them enough. He was proud of their album and seeing that other people liked it as much as he did, it made him feel things he wasn’t expecting. The whole band was born randomly, when they were bored and Percy started playing and singing and Thalia joined him drumming with her fingers. Hazel joked that they sounded good and they should have started playing professionally. Nobody gave the comment a second thought until a week after Thalia told him she bought a drum set and they should have at least tried once. They did, Jason joined with the bass and that was how they started five years before. Now he was standing in the same room he was then, ready to audition people. People who wanted to enter their band, that liked them and thought they could go far enough to try playing with them. <em>Fifty</em> people, that many came hoping to make it <em>with</em> them.</p><p>“Finally! You took your time, Jackson” Thalia said, while he was walking through the long corridor, packed with people. Jason and she were standing at the other end, in front of the rehearsing room.</p><p>“Sorry, sorry” he apologised, raising his hands. “Let’s begin, shall we?” he rubbed his hands, excited for the next couple of hours.</p><p>“Yes, we shall” Jason said. “Octavian, you’re first” he called, and a blonde creepy guy stepped forward. The three of them seated down behind a table.</p><p>The creepy dude positioned himself behind the keyboards and was about to say which song he had prepared to play, when Percy thought of what Annabeth said about how the name (and the music) being something that should represent the band.</p><p>“Octavian” he called. The guy stared at him, annoyed. “Do you like Greek Mythology?” he asked. Thalia and Jason both turned to him, an unreadable expression on their face, that he was sure meant ‘dude, are you serious?’.</p><p>“Dude, what the hell?” Jason questioned him. “Just give us a second, Octavian” he said, before gesturing for the other two to come closer to him, so they could talk.</p><p>“Listen, let me do this. I talked to Annabeth and she said something smart. This music, our band, is something important to us. We cannot let in anyone who is <em>just</em> good. Look at us, we are good. Bu you know what we are, also? We are nerds, obsessed with the Olympian gods, we come up with very questionable names for our band and don’t settle with one and we are <em>suckers</em> for punk rock. We need to have someone in our band that is like us. There’s more to being good in a band. It’s friendship, attitude and vibes” he explained. Jason and Thalia seemed impressed by his reasoning.</p><p>When they turned back to the guy, Thalia took the matter in her hands. “Sorry. So, do you like mythology?” she asked him. He didn’t enjoy the question better, when coming from the girl.</p><p>He rolled his eyes. “Why would I? It’s stupid and unnecessary to my life” he said. Percy wanted to punch him so much. The attitude of superiority was infuriating.</p><p>“Thanks for coming. I don’t think we could work well together” Percy said, fake smiling at the guy, who just shrugged and turned to leave. Before he was too far away, he was sure he said Octavian muttered “You aren’t that good anyways”. He was about to jump up and run to him, but Jason’s hands kept him in place and shook his head. He meant: <em>he’s not worth it, don’t do anything stupid</em>. He complied.</p><p>For the next three hours that was all they did. They asked random people how they felt about punk rock and alternative music, if they liked spending hours discussing which god was better and how they would call a band. Just a few could come up with a name that was questionable and funny enough for them. A few played really well, others really sucked. They wrote their names in very specific columns<em>: Good, Bad, Maybe, Octavian-the-jerk</em>. But not one stuck out enough that made them think: this one, this is the one. So after three hours and just a bunch of people left, they were very, very disconsolate.</p><p>A new guy came forward. He was big. He was tall and had broad shoulders and was obviously of Asian origins. He seemed scared of being there and it was very ironic. He was as big as a bear but trembled as the tiniest animal that is. He wore a purple T-shirt with a golden design, and Percy was sure he saw that T-shirt already.</p><p>“Man!” Jason shouted. “You have the SPQR T-shirt!” That was it. Jason had the same.</p><p>The scared bear smiled, and all his fear disappeared in a second. He now stood tall and confident, his eyes ready. “You have it too?” he asked, happily.</p><p>“Of course I do! You have no idea how many times I’ve argued with these two, explaining why Roman gods are better than Greeks!” he said, sighing in relief. They did argue about that a lot, as much as they did about which god was better than the other. No one seemed to agree with him about the obvious superiority of Poseidon, as his cousins were divided between Artemis (Thalia), Jupiter (Jason), Hades (Nico) and Pluto (Hazel). So similar, yet so different.</p><p>“You kidding? How can puny Greeks be better than mighty Romans?!” he replied, shocked. Jason stood up and went to hug the guy, laughing.</p><p>“Puny Greeks?” Thalia repeated, enraged. “Puny Greeks? I’ll show you puny Greeks!” she said. She could be very passionate about it, more than Percy. She was scary and he always thought that arguing with her was a suicide and, if she could, she would have incinerated the poor victim with lightnings.</p><p>“Okay, everybody calm down” he said, calling everyone back. The guy seemed to fit right in, having caused a discussion after only three seconds. “So what’s your name?” he asked, as Jason seated back behind the table.</p><p>“I’m Frank. Zhang. Frank Zhang” he said, stumbling on his own words.</p><p>“Frank, you seem to know your mythology. I guess you like it” Frank nodded at Jason’s words. “Okay, good. Now I’m going to ask a very important question and, please, think about your answer carefully” the guy nodded again, now intimidated. “Who’s your favourite god?”</p><p>Percy couldn’t stop himself from cracking up. They were such nerds but wanted to act though by playing some punk rock. Thalia followed him and in the end everyone, including Frank, was laughing out loud. That was when Percy decided that Frank was perfect for the band. It didn’t matter if he was the best or the worst keyboardist they heard, he fitted right in with them and he had to be their choice.</p><p>“Oh, man. I think I will disappoint y’all” he said. “It’s Mars”.</p><p>The three musicians whined, sighed and puffed. Percy hated a few gods, but Ares (or Mars) was absolutely the worst of them. Along with Hera.</p><p>“But Poseidon is a close second” he added later. Percy lit up. He stood and went to shake Frank’s hand. “Welcome to the band” he said, because no one before liked Poseidon and he was not letting the opportunity to have someone on his same side go.</p><p>“Maybe you can play something for us, before we make the decision” Thalia suggested, but she was smiling. So was Jason. They all agreed that Frank was perfect.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, right” he said. “Play us something”.</p><p>“If you don’t mind, I chose one of your songs. I love your music and your album is brilliant, seriously” he said. Everyone was happy to hear it. “Okay, here we go”.</p><p>Despite his big fingers, they were long, and Frank was good. Like, really good. And his version of<em> A Dangerous Promise </em>was amazing. He thought of Nico during the whole performance.</p><p>“Frank” said Jason. “Now, for real: welcome to the band”.</p><p>*</p><p>After they sent away everyone else, exchanged numbers with Frank and promised they would have met as soon as they could, Percy left. He was supposed to go home, but his feet moved on their own and he found himself standing outside his mother’s candy shop soon enough. He wasn’t sure what they could talk about, or if it made sense to talk about it after so many years, but he needed to free himself from that burden. He knew that Nico had resented him for some time, before understanding and forgiving him, but he still had a hard time forgiving himself. Nico had the morning shift and he was supposed to get off soon.</p><p>He entered and his nose smelled the familiar sugary smell of candies and chocolate, the same that characterised his mom. She had worked extenuating shifts, before she agreed to hire some help so she could rest and start working on something she really liked and cared about: writing. She never lost that smell, the one that he had associated with home and safety for many years.</p><p>“Nico, you there?” he called, not finding his cousin behind the cash desk. From the back door, the pale, black-haired guy came out. He was tired and it looked like he hadn’t slept in days. He was happy to see Nico so healthy, as two days ago he seemed way worse. Actually, thinking about it, he has never seen him looking better than that. “Hello. Something good happened?”</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You look, hem, better than usual” he said, smiling. He picked a bag and started pouring every blue candy he could find in the shop. Despite the name, the store didn’t sell only blue candies.</p><p>“No, nothing happened” Nico spoke, but he was lying. The left angle of his mouth always moved when he lied. It took Percy long days of observation to be able to read Nico, as he was the most closed up of his cousin and he almost never said what he was feeling.</p><p>He decided not to inquire more as he didn’t want to be intrusive. “Want to come home for lunch? I know that Hazel is having a study date with some friends from school” he proposed. He just needed an excuse to talk to him, but he couldn’t skip lunch at home that day, as he needed to babysit his sister after.</p><p>“Sure. But I have to be at home at four” he accepted.</p><p>Percy raised his eyebrows, interested. “Why for?”</p><p>“I have something to do” he shrugged.</p><p>“A date?”</p><p>Everything Nico was holding and tidying up behind the desk fell. That was a yes.</p><p>“Good for you”.</p><p>“No, no! It’s not a date. It’s a hang with a friend” he tried to convince him.</p><p>“Whatever” he said. He took his phone and texted her mother, telling her that Nico was coming home with him for lunch. She responded with too many kissing emoji and hearts.</p><p>“Listen. I came here for a reason” he started.</p><p>“Wasn’t it to invite me for lunch?”</p><p>“No” he admitted. “I wanted – I <em>need</em> to talk with you. About Bianca” he said.</p><p>Nico stopped moving. His back was turned to Percy, so he could not read his face to understand his reaction. He knew Bianca was still a difficult topic for him, even after nine years. Hell, it was difficult for him not to get angry and sad and guilty when he thought about her or sang about her. But, as always, he only let himself feeling those emotion when music was involved. Talking to Nico about it now, he was breaking his own rules about living life at its fullest and not being held back by negative emotions.</p><p>“<em>Okay</em>” the other guy straightened his posture and turned to him. His eyes were sadder and darker than before. “I’ll close the shop” he said, even if it should have stayed open half an hour more. He went to the door and came back, no one talked. “What about Bianca?”.</p><p>“Today we auditioned for a keyboardist” he started. “And this guy came in and played <em>A Dangerous Promise. </em>Days ago I was talking to Annabeth and she asked me about <em>The Hunter</em>. I don’t know. I just noticed that I expressed my feelings about the incident in music, but never really talked about it with you” he explained, sighing. He put a hand in his hair, trying to calm down.</p><p>“We talked about it, when it happened”</p><p>“Did we?”</p><p>Truth was, when it happened, they didn’t really talk about it. Nico said (screamed) that Percy had promised to protect her and was shuttered when she died. Percy was broken as well and never apologised to him. He had promised but he had failed. He felt <em>guilty</em>.</p><p>“I never apologised” he whispered.</p><p>Nico came forward, standing in front of him, and put a hand on his shoulder, as he bowed his head and stared at the ground. He was close to crying. “You don’t have to”.</p><p>“It was my fault!”</p><p>“It wasn’t. I’m sorry if I made you believe it was, <em>Perce</em>” he said in a soothing voice. “It’s nobody’s fault. It was a tragic incident. You couldn’t have stopped her”</p><p>He was full on crying now. “I’m sorry I didn’t protect her. I promised I would”</p><p>“You couldn’t have known. No one could and –” Percy cut him off by wrapping his arms around him. Reluctantly, Nico wrapped his arms around Percy.</p><p>Nico wasn’t a hugger. He wasn’t someone who comforted people either, but he had warmed to Percy and, well, all his cousins thanks to Hazel. She was the only one who had managed to enter Nico’s shell in nine years, she was the reason he was starting to turn back to his old self. The one before Percy’s failure, the one before Bianca.</p><p>“I’m so sorry” Percy whispered.</p><p>“I know” Nico said. “I <em>forgave</em> you years ago. Bianca forgave you. Now forgive yourself”.</p><p>When Sally Jackson and Maria di Angelo had proposed to their twelve-year-old kids to go to a summer camp for two weeks, many years ago, Bianca and Percy swiftly agreed. They had never left Manhattan and that would have been their only occasion to do so, even if it was for a few weeks and they were only spending time with other lame kids of their age. Nico asked Percy to keep an eye on his sister. He swore he would. Barn Harbour was their destination, just a few hours from New York, on the coast of Maine. They had fun, didn’t really click with anybody else, but enjoyed each other’s company. It was safe to say that, back then, Bianca was Percy’s favourite cousin and they spent an insane amount of time together, probably because they were the same age and went to the same school and even had some classes together. Everything was safe and they spent their nights watching the stars, as Bianca promptly told Percy which constellation was which and could name every single star in the night sky, astonished by how bright they were shining, away from the city. They had never seen the stars as clear. Each morning Percy tried to teach Bianca how to surf, but the girl failed miserably, making them cry from laughter. Everything was good and neither of them wanted to go back home. They were also considering asking their mothers to send them back there the year after and convincing Jason and Nico to go with them.</p><p>Two days before camp ended, everyone was back in their cabins, sleeping. Boys with boys and girls with girls. Percy was wide awake. Apparently so was Bianca. She came silently to his cabin and entered, without waking anybody. It was a little past seven in the morning, they wouldn’t wake them before eight thirty. Percy’s birthday would have been in a week from that day and he was glad he would have been back home by then, but sad he wouldn’t have seen the stars anymore, or surfed with Bianca so freely, without people around.</p><p>“C’mon, Perce, let’s go” she said, tugging his arm and making him stand.</p><p>He followed her out of the cabin, before speaking, so they wouldn’t wake anybody. “What are you trying to do?” he asked, concern in his voice.</p><p>“I heard some of the older guys talking. They said that in the city there’s this store that sells Mythomagic figurines. I want to go and see if there’s Hades one. It’s the only one Nico is missing” she explained.</p><p>Leaving camp without authorization wasn’t allowed for over 15s. They were twelve and weren’t allowed to leave the camp, ever, with or without authorization. What Bianca was proposing was totally stupid and he <em>knew</em> it, but he wanted an adventure to tell Grover and Jason when he went back to New York. Something different from his skills in climbing the wall or canoeing in the sea. Bianca, on the other hand, mastered archery and they kept joking about how she could have joined the Hunters of Artemis, if they lived in Ancient Greece.</p><p>“How do we get there?” he asked. If only he had stopped and thought about it, about what he had promised Nico, he could have told her that leaving was not permitted and that they could ask an older guy to check the shop out for them. But he was <em>excited</em> to do something against the rules, for the first time.</p><p>“There’s a bus. The next one is in fifteen minutes and it’s a little bit far away. But we can make it in ten. If we are fast enough, we can be back before breakfast ends and no one notices our absence” she said, her eyes shining with anticipation.</p><p>They left and no one noticed. The walk wasn’t long, and they got to the shop easily. On their way back to the camp, Bianca was holding Hades figurine as her life depended on it, she didn’t want to lose it for any reason. She kept talking about Nico’s reaction to the toy. The sun was brighter and hotter, when they left the bus stop and started walking to the camp. She was walking in the empty road, while Percy walked closer to the trees. There was no pavement, no space for pedestrians to walk freely. There shouldn’t have been pedestrians walking along that road. But they were passing by a curve and Bianca was walking <em>backwards</em>, talking to Percy. Hadn’t he been looking down, he would have seen it. But he was smiling at what Bianca was mumbling about, looking at his shoes and didn’t. The driver didn’t see Bianca either.</p><p>He held her, while she was bleeding. Her hair was dark and wet where she hit her head. Her leg was turned at an impossible angle. He was crying and screaming, while the driver was talking to a 9-1-1 operator and hurrying him to send an ambulance. Only after he noticed his hand red with her blood.</p><p>“<em>Here</em>” Bianca whispered, she wasn’t even in pain. Percy knew what it meant. “Give it to Nico. Tell him … <em>tell him I’m sorry</em>” she gave him Hades figurine. He held it closer to his heart.</p><p>She closed her eyes. “Bianca, no!” he whispered, trying to keep her awake, to, to … her chest stopped moving.</p><p>There they were, in Maine, in the middle of a forgotten road and Bianca di Angelo was <em>gone</em>.</p><p>Everyone was sent back immediately, but Percy. His family came to Maine. Nico didn’t, he was left in New York, with Jason and Thalia. Maria didn’t blame him, even if he told her it was his fault, because he didn’t stop her, he didn’t keep an eye on her. His mother told him that they shouldn’t have left, that it was reckless and stupid and that he was totally and completely disappointed in Percy. But she didn’t blame him either. They saw it as Nico would have seen it years after: a tragic incident. Maria didn’t cry when she saw her daughter’s body. She didn’t on their way back to New York, with her body in the trunk, nor at the funeral, giving the eulogy.</p><p>Percy approached Nico then, for the first time since the day Bianca died, outside the Church.</p><p>“She wanted you to have this” that was the first thing he said, giving him the figurine. Nico took it and stared at it.</p><p>“You <em>promised</em> you would have protected her” Nico said. He might as well have stabbed him, it would have hurt less than reminding him of that promise.</p><p>“Nico, I’m so sorry. I should have stopped her, but I didn’t and –”</p><p>“I shouldn’t have trusted you!” he whispered, rage in his voice. Too much rage for a ten-year-old.</p><p>“Nico, I’m –”</p><p>“I <em>hate</em> you!” he yelled, flinging the god’s statue back to Percy. “I hate you! I wish you were dead!” He knew he said it only because he was upset and devastated, but it hurt. He couldn’t breathe anymore, and his eyes felt heavy, loaded with tears. He didn’t want to cry in front of Nico. It wasn’t fair. It was all his fault, Nico was right, he should have been dead. Nico ran away and Percy was left standing in front of the church, the only statue his cousin didn’t have in his hand. His sister’s final gift. Her <em>fatal</em> gift.</p><p>Thinking about it, on their way home, nine years later, Percy still felt guilty. But he also came to terms that if he didn’t go with her, Bianca would have still gone by herself. And <em>maybe</em>, she wouldn’t have walked backwards, but she could still be hit. Nobody was at fault. It took him years of therapy to understand it. He still had a long way to go, but it was better.</p><p>Nico was silent beside him, but he was okay with it. He told him a thousand times that he forgave him, that he kept his promise the best he could, and that Bianca was okay, that it was just her <em>destiny</em>. Her time. He also regretted telling him he hated him, so he apologised for it. Percy told him he didn’t have to, he knew he didn’t mean it. But Nico still did.</p><p>“So, who’s the friend?” he asked Nico, when they were just a few blocks away from home.</p><p>“<em>Will</em>” he said, his pale skin a little bit pinker. Percy nodded, even if he didn’t remember Will that well, as he was a little more interested with Annabeth.</p><p>“You remember the figurine?” he asked. Nico turned to look at him. They kept walking. “I kept it. Would you like to have it back? You know, maybe it’s okay to still be a kid, once in a while” His cousin smiled and, for once, Percy didn’t feel the usual weight on his stomach when he thought about Bianca di Angelo.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>When I first started writing this story, I had a totally different idea of what I wanted. The thing is: the idea from the story came from an episode that happened to my friend and me in real life. The dynamics were a little different from the ones in the story, but it started at a club and with someone hitting on me, while my friend was crushing on their friend. Everything started to change when I started writing. I wasn’t even planning on writing about Bianca’s death, but it happened. If you have read the books as many times as I did, you will recognise many quotes from them, even if not said by the same characters, often.</p><p>What was supposed to be a very light story, became soon something a little deeper and kind of a therapeutic thing for me. It’s not very much autobiographical, but most of the thing that will be said are very personal. Get ready, because shit is about to go down and when you least expect it something dark is coming out, even when the chapter is all about sunny days and having friends.</p><p>Also, I really want to thank you all. I was not expecting you to like this story, tbh, and seeing all the hits, kudos and bookmarks in the past week has really warmed my heart!<br/>If you have twitter, follow me! @seaweedhenry.</p><p>I'll see you next Tuesday!</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. THREE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jason can't believe that Piper wants to date him – and that Percy is so stupid.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Note: English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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    <span class="u">Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual. I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</span>
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    <span class="u">Trigger Warning: slight mention of panic attack.</span>
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    <span class="u">The song for this chapter is basically what I think the song Jason’s writes says.</span>
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    <strong>JASON</strong>
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    <strong>
      <em>No matter how far and wide I roam, you’re the only one that I’ll ever know -</em>
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    <strong> Anyone Else by PVRIS</strong>
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<p>Piper was <em>beautiful</em>. Her hair was asymmetrical and tangled in little braids. He thought he was staring at the most beautiful creature ever created and, if he had to imagine Aphrodite, he thought that she would look exactly like her. Her dark skin was glowing in the light of the candle, she had a little make-up and her skin looked so, <em>so</em> soft. She had a single silver band on her middle finger. Her dress was short, it reached her knees, and red. He was barely breathing, and his mind could not formulate a single thought. All he could actually think was just <em>wowowowowo</em>. He was pretty sure that, had he said anything at all, he would have made a fool out of himself. He couldn’t, not when for some sort of miracle a girl like Piper actually accepted to go out with him. Jason would have never had another shot like that in his life and he was going to play his cards the best he could.</p>
<p>His date was smiling, still waiting at the door, as he was trying to catch his breath. He probably already blew everything up by staring at her for five minutes, without saying a word and just checking her out again, again and again. He remembered he bought her some flowers and, as swiftly as possible, recovered from his <em>‘I’m-an-idiot-please-still-go-out-with-me’</em> state of mind. She accepted the flowers still smiling, flushing gently and shily. He was totally head over hills for that girl and would have crossed the entire world, if she only asked him to.</p>
<p>“Piper. You look – you look–” he could not find a word that would give her justice. Beautiful? Gorgeous? Astonishing? Spectacular? Was there a world that could describe his feelings and capture his beating heart? He thought not. Therefore, he just stood there, keeping his eyes locked on Piper’s face as she tried to hide her blushing.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Jason. You’re very nice” she said. “You look very good as well” she commented. He felt so down dressed. He was wearing black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a jacket, his hair was barely brushed, and he had decided to keep his glasses on. He was so basic, when she was there, totally looking like the most beautiful of the goddesses out there, and she had the guts to say that <em>he</em> looked good. He wanted to laugh.</p>
<p>“Shall we go?” he asked, offering his arms for her to grab, as they walked to the elevator. Piper closed the door and gladly hung her hands over Jason’s elbow, smiling at him. She lived with Annabeth and Leo in an economic building in Washington Heights. It was the most popular neighbourhood in Manhattan for students, with its cheap prices and ethnic atmosphere. It was Jason and Percy’s favourite hang-out for lunches, when they didn’t want to stay at home. He probably knew every food place there was, but still took his time choosing where to take Piper for their first date.</p>
<p>It took all his courage and a few pep talks from Percy, before he felt confident enough to call the girl and finally ask her out, a whole month after they met and started flirting. He wasn’t proud of how long it took, but he still managed to before Percy even <em>realised</em> his crush on Annabeth. He considered it a victory. He was <em>not</em> the dumbest in their bromance.</p>
<p>He had no idea how Percy and Annabeth could keep neglecting their mutual crush on each other, but Piper told him to let it go and let the fates work: love always finds a way and they just needed to give them space to let their affection grow. He thought it was a very mature reasoning and, moreover, it was Piper, so he listened to her. He focused his attention on getting to know the girl and polishing the song he wrote for her.</p>
<p><em>Gods</em>, he wrote her a song a <em>week</em> after they met and before they kissed or even went out together for the first time. He was totally, completely, absolutely <em>mental</em> and he was proud of it.</p>
<p>He got to her apartment by subway and decided to just walk around the neighbourhood, eat something and, maybe, if she was still into him after, he would have taken her to a park nearby, to watch the stars and talk some more. He thought he could have done the cliché thing of taking off the jacket and offering it to your date and maybe a little stargazing could spark something in them. In <em>her</em>.</p>
<p>“You are overthinking it” she said, as they walked past an Indian restaurant. They were close, their hands kept bouncing into each other and he was tempted to try to squeeze the girl’s, and maybe tangle them together if her reaction was positive.</p>
<p>“I’m overthinking what?” he asked, genuinely confused by her statement.</p>
<p>Piper took matter in her own hands and, finally, took his hand and squeezed it in hers. She stopped him and forced him to turn, so he had to face her. “This. <em>Us</em>. Our date” she said, pointing between the two of them as she spoke, as she was trying to prove a point. “You’re trying too hard”.</p>
<p>“Can someone really try too hard?”</p>
<p>“Yes. You are. Right now” she confirmed. She then gave him the sweetest smile. “Jason, I said yes to this date not only because you play in my favourite band –”</p>
<p>“We are your favourite band?”</p>
<p>“– but also because I like you. I want to know you and want to see you eat a burger and find it attractive, even if sauces and grease are drooling down your chin. Don’t stress, I’m not disappearing after this date” she reassured him.</p>
<p><em>I like you</em>. She said it. He wasn’t dreaming. She was into him, she wanted to be with him and squeeze his hand and watch as he would try to eat fries, while talking. And she would have found him attractive no matter what. How did he get so lucky?</p>
<p>“Grease drooling down my chin? Is that what you’re into? Shouldn’t we take everything slowly?” he asked, teasing her and showing her how much she helped him.</p>
<p>She smiled. “Oh, shut up, or I <em>am</em> gonna disappear” she threatened him. But he now could distinguish her joking expression and her serious one.</p>
<p>“No, please, don’t” he said anyways showing her how much he wanted her around.</p>
<p>“I won’t” she squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.</p>
<p>From that moment on, he was pretty sure they had the best first date of all time.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>The first few rehearsals with Frank were a complete <em>disaster</em>. They couldn’t get one song right, Percy’s voice was so off that he asked Thalia to sing the intro to <em>The Hunter</em> and they still hadn’t found a name that they all liked and that could work for the band. It was difficult to adjust to finally having a keyboard sound and they had to make a few arrangment changes to make the music good and harmonizing with every instrument.</p>
<p>“<em>Hera Sucks</em>” Percy suggested, during a break from rehearsing. It was Saturday. Jason and Piper’s date had been almost a week ago and between her shifts at the café and his hours in the car with Percy to go and come back from Stony Brook, they hadn’t seen each other since then. They texted and every evening, at ten, he would call her, and they would fall asleep while talking. It was nice, but he wanted to go out with her again, hold her hand in the street and, maybe, kiss her goodbye this time.</p>
<p>He chickened out during their first date and didn’t kiss her.</p>
<p>She looked too beautiful and too hopeful, when they stopped under her apartment building and he knew he would have totally <em>failed</em> her expectations. He did the easy thing, he kissed her on the cheek and walked away. He cursed himself later and called her when he got home, just to tell her he had an amazing time and, if she wanted, they could do it again. Still, he missed the kiss that they never had.</p>
<p>“We are gonna finish Olympians to curse, sooner or later” Thalia said, sipping directly from a bottle of water. It was a habit of hers that Jason hated, but, as much as he tried to make her stop, she would carry on with drinking from it.</p>
<p>“Nonsense! We got the Romans after the Greeks. The heroes then, and the muses!” he exclaimed. He was the one who suggested they needed to find a forever-name for their band and still was having so much fun, coming up with random idiotic names that insulted every god and goddess of the Greek Mythology.</p>
<p>“Okay, what about <em>Demi-blood</em>?” Frank proposed. “It’s like a mix between demigods and half-bloods” he explained, still a little flustered when it came to speak in front of them. It didn’t matter how many times they told him that he was now <em>part</em> of the band and his opinion mattered and he should speak louder to make sure to be heard, he still had difficulties. Jason thought he was intimidated by their closeness and coordination. They didn’t have to speak to communicate with each other often and it agitated a lot of people, including their parents.</p>
<p>“<em>Thank you, </em>Frank for demonstrating what a good name means. Percy, I hope you took notes” Jason said, smiling at Frank. He visibly let out a deep breath and smiled back.</p>
<p>“You want something serious?” Percy asked, rhetorically. “<em>Anaklusmos</em>. It’s Greek and means riptide. I think I read somewhere it was Poseidon’s weapon” he told them, grinning at their amazement and surprise.</p>
<p>“Didn’t Poseidon have a trident?” Frank inquired, confused.</p>
<p>“His <em>other</em> weapon. It was a sword” he added, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Yes, but I don’t –” Frank was cut off by Thalia.</p>
<p>“Okay, stop it. Let’s avoid wasting time by discussing mythology. <em>Again</em>” she said, authoritatively. “<em>Anaklusmos</em> could be a good name” she commented. “We are <em>Anaklusmos. The Anaklusmos</em>” she tried the name out. She pulled a face, not convinced. “Okay, let’s keep it as a back-up. Let’s try something else”.</p>
<p>They sat in silence, as everyone was brainstorming ideas. Jason was sure that wasn’t the way of doing it. He never got anything out of obsessively thinking about it again and again and again. It’s like when you forget someone’s name: it doesn’t matter if you keep thinking about it, you are always remembering the name when you are <em>not</em> thinking about it, when you are doing something completely different. <em>That’s</em> when it hits you.</p>
<p>“Okay, this is clearly not working. I’m calling Nico and Hazel to ask them if they want to stop by. Oh! And I’m inviting Piper too, we haven’t seen each other in a whole week” he said. No one opposed it but seemed relieved.</p>
<p>Nico and Hazel arrived half an hour later, while Piper said she still had to work another hour, before she was free to go. She invited Annabeth and Leo too, on Jason’s request. She would have asked Will too, but, unlike his three friends, he worked in the afternoon. Frank choked on his water when he saw Hazel, and Percy had to pat his back several times before he declared he was okay. He then blushed and avoided any kind of contact with the girl. The three new additions to the group arrived around one and brought pizza.</p>
<p>“I don’t get why you think it has to be mythology related” Leo said, while they were discussing the name. They sat in a circle, three pizzas in the middle as they talked. It was so easy for the nine of them to get along and it felt as if they had been friends forever. Thalia was the older in the group and usually commented something dark and creepy; Percy and Leo were competing to get the <em>I’m-The-Dorkest-And-An-Idiot</em> crown, but Annabeth kept laughing, so Percy kept making stupid remarks; Piper and Hazel tried to be smart and really reason on the name of the band (Annabeth as well, when she wasn’t crying from laughter); Frank and Nico didn’t talk much, but their observations on <em>this</em> or <em>that</em>name were always on point. As of Jason, he sat there, his arms stretched back and his leg touching Piper’s crossed knee and he felt happy as he never felt in years. He felt <em>good</em>.</p>
<p>“Because there’s nothing better than mythology, <em>Repair Boy</em>” Percy said. Leo flushed, annoyed with the nickname he was given as soon as everyone found out he was a mechanic. He started playing with tools and a toaster Thalia gave him, which needed fixing. He was more than content with the task and didn’t complain at all. He actually thanked them, because, apparently, he loved feeling useful and repairing stuff.</p>
<p>“I would say there are a few things that are <em>better</em> than mythology” Annabeth noted.</p>
<p>“Are there, Wise Girl?” Nobody knew where that pet name came from, but nobody had the guts to ask, not when Percy and Annabeth gazed at each other as there was no one else in the room with them.</p>
<p>Annabeth just scoffed at Percy, and he smiled.</p>
<p>“<em>Godly Spawns</em>” Jason suggested.</p>
<p>“I will not go on stage and say I’m a <em>spawn</em>, Jason Grace!” Thalia called back, her face red. Everyone started laughing.</p>
<p>“I don’t know about <em>Anaklusmos</em>, but <em>The Riptide</em> sounds like a good name” stated Nico, chewing on his slice of pizza. He seemed to enjoy it a lot, so he mentally noted to ask Piper where they bought it from, because Nico has never eaten something with such pleasure. Maybe only McDonald’s.</p>
<p>“I always liked the word Youngblood” Frank mentioned, as if he was just letting his thoughts slip through.</p>
<p>“I mean, dude, it sounds good,” Leo commented. “but what should it represent?”</p>
<p>Ever since they saw each other, they started a kind of rivalry. They fought to seat next to Hazel (in the end they each seated at her side), they kind of competed on who would eat the most and, now, it seemed as if they were challenging each other to find the perfect name for the band. Nobody really liked Leo’s suggestion to call themselves <em>Hephaestus Defence Squad</em>, because, of course, if he had to choose one Olympian God, he would have chosen Hephaestus. That caused an argument between Piper (fiercely on Aphrodite’s side) and him about how mistreated the forger was and how the goddess of love was just superficial. It ended only when Piper threw her slice of pizza to the boy and he caught it with his mouth.</p>
<p>“I mean, it doesn’t have to represent something. It can just sound good” Hazel noted, Frank smiled gratefully and adoringly. “But you can say that we all have youngblood” she added, finding a meaning where there was none. Leo shut up after that.</p>
<p>“Enough chitchat!” Annabeth called. “We came here, and you don’t even play us anything! I want to hear if the new pianist is as good as Percy claimed him to be”.</p>
<p>Second note to self: tease Percy about texting and calling Annabeth every day and acting as an idiot only to make her laugh. And he <em>still</em> refused to see his obvious feelings.</p>
<p>Their little audience started cheering when they positioned behind their instruments. Percy regulated Jason’s microphone, as Jason adjusted his sea-green guitar; Thalia and Frank were working on her drums. They had played together as a quartet for just a few hours, but they were at least comfortable with each other and didn’t need to talk to cooperate as if they have been a band for years. They moved as if they were an only body. Frank took no time to enter in the pre-concert preparation cycle they had instaured, in which everyone checked each other’s instruments before taking place. It was a way of showing that they were there for each other, that they cared.</p>
<p>“Let’s break the setlist for tonight, okay?” Thalia proposed. “We start with <em>Centuries, Chocolate Chips, Everyone Hates me</em> and All Time Low’s <em>Heroes</em>” she counted. “We take a break and we go on with <em>Welcome To The War, Pigs Fly, The Kids Aren’t Alright</em> and we close with <em>The Hunter</em>” she said.</p>
<p>“Actually. Instead of <em>The Hunter</em>, can we play <em>Piccola Stella</em> this time? I’m not sure I can –” Percy didn’t need to finish the sentence. They all knew what he meant. Well, actually, Frank didn’t, but sooner or later they would have to explain him the meaning and the story behind each song on their album.</p>
<p>“You know the chords, Frank?” Jason asked. They told him to learn the music for every song, including the one they hadn’t recorded yet, as <em>The Hunter</em>. He did. He nodded, confirming. “Perfect, let’s play. Oh, and when we are alone, I have a song to make you listen to, guys” he said. Percy smirked, so, of course, he blushed.</p>
<p>Their small concert was good. It was definitely better than the rehearsal they had before, where they couldn’t hit a good note even randomly. They were perfectly timed this time, the songs sounded better with a keyboard and Percy hit every note. Jason thought it was as if they had played together for longer than they actually did. It must have been a shared thought, because at the break everyone started cheering and shouting and congratulated them. Piper even kissed his cheek while they talked, when he went to her and accepted the glass of water she was offering him. Percy and Annabeth also stood aside from the rest of the people, talking and whispering and laughing with each other. He turned to Piper who had a <em>Told-Ya</em> face on. He smiled and went back to his position to finish the set.</p>
<p>“Eight songs and takes you forty minutes to play them all” Leo said. He seemed he was teasing, but they all knew he was probably the one who enjoyed their music the most. He was sweating from dancing around and screaming made up lyrics, which made everyone laugh.</p>
<p>“Percy has a hard time writing a song that doesn’t last at least four minutes” Jason shrugged, as if it explained it all.</p>
<p>“You sounded amazing! <em>Frank</em> you were – wow” Hazel said, red for the embarrassment. “I can’t wait for tonight” she added. Jason supposed she couldn’t wait to see Frank play, sweated, on stage, surrounded by lights and in front of a dancing crowd.</p>
<p>“Now we just need a name!” Percy exclaimed, excited, as he wrapped an arm around Annabeth’s shoulders. And, a second later, Jason’s.</p>
<p>Everybody groaned.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Jason has never been scared of performing, but he was that Sunday night. The day before he had suggested they rehearsed a song he had written, and they were about to perform it. When they met in the morning and Thalia approved his song, without changing a single chord, and Frank complimented him on his writing skills, he felt the urge to throw up his breakfast. Percy had a proud look on his face. Technically speaking, they wrote the song <em>together</em>, but in the end, it was Jason who came up with the music, the concept and most of the lyrics. His cousin just added a word here and there and suggested a few vocabulary changes, when he considered it necessary. So, it was <em>Jason’s song</em>. A song he was proud of and he was sure he wouldn’t have regretted writing after years, as it happened for <em>Welcome To The War</em>. Piper was in first row, a little to the right, to be exactly under Jason’s spot on the stage. He would have had to look at her, while performing the very song he wrote. <em>For her</em>.</p>
<p>“Five minutes” someone called.</p>
<p>Jason felt himself fainting. He had to sit down and start taking deep breaths. In and out. It should have been easy, and automatic, and he was failing miserably and couldn’t bring himself to breathe. He was gasping and his head was spinning.</p>
<p>“Jason? Hey! It’s okay, calm down” the voice was muffled, he didn’t know if it was Percy or Frank ordering him to breathe. He wanted to scream <em>‘what do you think I’m trying to do here?’</em>, but he couldn’t even see anymore. He was, now, panicking.</p>
<p>“We don’t have to play it if that’s the problem here, buddy” that was Percy. He was the only one in his family to call him buddy (along with thousands of other annoying names). But, as always, he understood him. Sometimes Jason doesn’t even have to look up to his cousin, he already knows what’s wrong with him and he’s there, ready to help him out the best he can. He was lucky to have such an understanding, supporting and loving family. His mother was dead, his father was always abroad, but he had his sister, his cousins and his aunts and that was his real family and he couldn’t think of a life without them.</p>
<p>He closed his eyes and thought of something that could calm him. Music, puppies, his friends, Piper, a clear sky, his family, Piper’s smile, sunny summer days, Piper’s eyes. Piper. Piper. Piper.</p>
<p>He suddenly felt ready. It was Piper, the same girl who told him she wouldn’t leave him, the girl whom he was desperate to kiss him but waited because she wanted it to mean something. It was the girl who reassured him when he brought her to a non-vegetarian place (they later went to a vegetarian restaurant Piper knew very well) and laughed with him at his puppy eyes. The girl who took his hand while they wandered around the neighbourhood and revealed him her most treasured secrets, her voice whispering them, not wanting the stars to hear her, wishing that that moment was only theirs, as the world faded around them. She was the girl he could possibly see himself with in the future. The girl he was falling for and she needed to know how he was feeling.</p>
<p>He opened his eyes. He saw clearly. Everything fell in its place and he could finally breathe again. He jumped up, ready to go on stage. “Let’s play it. I have a girl to win over” he said, and Percy smiled at him, proudly. He patted his shoulder and together went for the stage.</p>
<p>As they were walking towards their spots, he found Piper in the crowd. She was right next to Annabeth, just a few meters from where he would be standing during their set. She was smiling, while talking to her best friend, playing with her braid. She was beautiful. She looked up and their gazes met. He smiled, and she sent him a kiss. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her.</p>
<p>“No more stupidity, brother. Go get her” Thalia told him, while she was setting her drums in place. No more stupidity.</p>
<p>“Hello, New York!” Percy shouted. “Thank you for coming to see us here. Thank you to the Stoll brothers for letting us play in your amazing club. I’m Percy” he said, pointing at himself. “I’m the lead singer and the guitarist. Here at my right is the best bassist to ever exist, Jason” he waved, as the crowd cheered. “On my left is Frank, he’s new, so let’s give it up for our pianist” the crowd cheered a little louder. “And last, but not least, our formidable drummer, Thalia!” he introduced, moving away so she could be seen by everyone in the room. She played on her drums, as a greeting.</p>
<p>There was no better feeling than standing on a stage, the crowd cheering and shouting for you, adrenaline growing inside you, as you wait the moment to start playing, locking your eyes with the most beautiful girl, who, incredibly, is also, potentially, hopefully, your future girlfriend. Jason felt as if he was on top of the world, as if he was Zeus himself.</p>
<p>“We are <em>The Demiblood</em> and, we promise, this name is here to stay!” Percy winked at the crowd, but he knew better than that: he was winking at someone in particular there, and she knew it, because she blushed in a matter of seconds. “The first song is an original and this is the first time we are playing it. Jason wrote it: give it up for him” the crowd complied. “This is <em>I Warned You Right At The Start</em>” he presented the song.</p>
<p>Before he could think it was stupid or he would lose all his courage, Jason stepped forward and put his mouth near the microphone in front of him. “This is for <em>you</em>” he didn’t say her name, but they both knew who he was dedicating the song to. Piper smiled, tilting her head down and blushing. When she looked up again, her eyes were shiny and glossy, and she was wearing the most sincere and emotional and beautiful smile ever. He smiled right back at her and started playing the first few chords of the song.</p>
<p>It was their best performance to date.</p>
<p>Everyone seemed to agree. The crowd was tireless. Every person was dancing, jumping to the rhythm of the music. More people than what they expected were singing along their original songs and he could see Piper crying after his song. Annabeth tried to comfort her, calming her down, while she smiled at her. He wanted to leave the stage and run to his girl, but, at the same time, he was having the time of his life.</p>
<p>Performing for Jason – for Percy, Thalia and Frank – was something <em>necessary</em>. The feeling they got from having a crowd singing their songs back to them, the loud music and the lights on them. Jason swore that only one thing could compare to that sensation, to the accomplishment of being on stage, the feeling of not missing anything, having reached the heights of his desires and dreams: only having Piper by his side made him feel the same. When he realised it, months after having played the song for the first time, he was sure that Piper was <em>the one</em> for him and that he couldn’t let her slip away from him, ever. He was complete, thanks to the music and Piper, and he desperately wanted them both in his life, because he had never felt better before.</p>
<p>Piper flung into his arms as soon as they stepped off the stage. She was waiting by the side stage and put her arms around his shoulder, before he could even put away his bass. It was white and had grey lightnings painted all over, painted by Rachel Elizabeth Dare years before. He was sweaty and had his T-shirt glued to his skin, but she didn’t mind, but started kissing his face, not leaving a single piece of skin untouched by her soft lips. He laughed, grabbing her hips gently and pulling her closer to him. The bass was pressed against his torso and it hurt, but he didn’t want to interrupt that moment for any reason. Piper stopped kissing his face, and he was seconds away from whining and crying, because it felt so good. She rested her head on his shoulder and sniffed. Her grip on his shoulder tightened, as he felt her body trembling in his arms. She was crying.</p>
<p>“Piper, <em>sweetheart</em>, are you crying?” he asked, preoccupied.</p>
<p>She sniffed again, moving to face him. Her kaleidoscopic eyes were circled in red, the same colour was painted on her cheeks and her lips were trembling. He was about to ask what he did wrong, when she spoke. Her voice was as unsteady as her body was. “You, incredible, astonishing boy. You – I… Nobody ever did something like that for me. That song, oh my gods” she started crying, hiding her face back in his shoulder. She whispered, but he could hear her. He loved how that moment belonged to them and them alone. “Do you really feel that way about me, Jason?”.</p>
<p>“Yes”</p>
<p>“I – I do too. Oh my gods, what did I do to deserve you?” she asked.</p>
<p>Probably she was speaking rhetorically and didn’t expect him to answer, but he did anyway. “I’m the lucky one. I –”</p>
<p>“That was the most beautiful song ever written and I don’t deserve it. Now you listen to me, okay?” she started talking, her voice was still shaking, but she was sure and secure. “We now go back to the club and say our goodbyes, then you take me back to the park of our first date. We are going to stargaze and right there I’ll let you kiss me” she decided, whispering in his ear.</p>
<p>He felt his bones falling to the ground, chills overtaking what was left of his body and his soul. It was a little, because he just donated the rest of him to the incredible girl that just told him that he had to kiss her. She knew what she wanted, and she didn’t ask anymore, she demanded it and he was no one to refuse her only request. He started nodding frantically before he could realise what he was doing, his eyes were wide open and was still clinging to Piper as she was his anchor. He felt he could drown in a second, if he let her go. She started laughing, her head thrown back as her arms were still tangled around Jason’s shoulder.</p>
<p>If he was dreaming, he didn’t want to wake up.</p>
<p>They took their time embracing each other, away from their friends’ eyes, before they finally went back to the main room of the bar. They were all standing near the counter, Annabeth and Percy on one side, talking so closely that their noses almost touched, Leo, Frank and Hazel were too caught up in a discussion to notice anyone and Nico and a newly arrived Will were chatting. Well, from what it looked like, Will was doing most of the talking and Nico most of the listening, but they were both smiling (<em>Nico was smiling</em>, he was incredulous), so the dynamic seemed to be working for them. Thalia was behind the counter, mixing them non-alcoholic drinks. Not wanting to make them be busted, all the underaged agreed to avoid drinking at the club, that was the only Stoll brothers’ term for letting them play. For what Jason could understand about them, they were dumb risk-takers and troublemakers, but the bar was just as important to them as was breaking the rules and serving underaged was way too risky even for them. Percy, Jason and Thalia were the only ones who had crossed the 21<sup>st</sup> threshold, but neither of the Grace brothers was a drinker, not wanting to turn out as their mother. Percy just avoided drinking all together, as it wouldn’t have been fun on his own.</p>
<p>Thalia was the first one to spot them, as they advanced, hand in hand and similar smiles on their faces. His sister pulled a face, as if she was disgusted by them, but he could still read the fondness in her eyes. She proceeded to clean the many glasses she had in front of you, while Travis (or Connor) at her side was flirting and serving clients, no matter the gender and the relationship status. One very angry boyfriend was about to jump on him, when he shamelessly flirted with whoever he was with, but fortunately Thalia intervened to stop him and, probably offered him free drinks to placate him. The boyfriend seemed very pleased, but Connor (or Travis) had a furious expression. It was an amusing scene to watch, as all the parties involved were too stubborn to let it go and laugh it off as everyone would have done. They were too prideful and that would have been their doom, sooner or later.</p>
<p>Piper dragged him by his arm towards their friends. No one was paying attention to them, so Jason could stay there and admire what he and Piper had done. They brought all those people together, they created friendships and expanded their groups. They made people so different, yet so similar, become friends, become more than friends, in some cases. He smiled, looking at Nico. He found out his secret, <em>unwillingly</em>. He didn’t force him to confide in him, but he still did. He kept his secret, as he asked him, and supported him, no matter what. Sometimes it was hard to keep his mouth shut, especially when Nico looked so happy with Will by his side. Sometimes he just wanted to smack Nico’s head and tell him to come clean already. Those people were his family, and no one would have judged him, whatever he told them. He could be whatever he wanted around them, believe in whatever god he wanted to believe in, love whoever he wanted and be whoever he wanted, they would have stood by him. But he could understand how hard it could seem to him. Nonetheless, here he was, close to Will, as he spoke to the blonde sunny boy, wearing a timid smile on his pale skin, his cheek pinker and his eyes shining, not the empty balls they used to be anymore. And in a second, he could see the Nico of nine years prior, the one who hadn’t known pain yet. All because he was into Piper and, thanks to that, he brought Will into his life. He was glad he had friends, outside his family, so he could see that the world had a lot to offer and it was about damn time for him to leave the Candy Shop and live a little.</p>
<p>He smiled, admiring his friends, shocked by how, in just a few weeks, they got so close. They were talking and smiling and laughing and he felt a warm feeling in his stomach. He put his arm around Piper’s shoulder, bringing her body closer to him. She copied him, embracing his hips and resting her head on his chest. He looked down, seeing as her eyes were closed and she had a relaxed, happy face on. She looked up to him and smiled, she brought her face up, just a few centimetres separated them. She kissed his cheek, cupping the other with her hands and keeping him as close as possible. He could feel her smile right on his skin and realised that there wouldn’t have been a better sensation, ever. All he wanted to feel for the rest of his life was her smile on his skin, her skin touching his body, and shivers running down his spine due to her closeness.</p>
<p>“You took your time” Percy said, noticing them. He was standing next to Annabeth, who was seated in front of the counter. They had been speaking all the time, not caring about anyone, not noticing anything that wasn’t the other. His arm was resting close to her hand, which was holding a non-alcoholic drink. Jason knew he was just waiting for the right moment to grab her hand in his, too scared to do it, but desiring it more than anything else. They had discussed it, for a long time, on their way back home from University a few days prior. Not the holding-hands matter, but his confusion around Annabeth, how he saw her as his friend, but was struck by her beauty and couldn’t stop smiling around her and was obsessed with making her laugh, along with other stuff. He tested a theory he had always been interested in: he asked Percy what he thought about her <em>skin</em>. His cousin didn’t quite catch the reference, so replied sincerely: she had a nice skin, soft and warm, flawless and beautiful.</p>
<p>“Sorry, Percy. I know you must have missed me a lot. I’m the worst boyfriend ever” he joked. “What can I do to gain your forgiveness?” he asked, grinning.</p>
<p>“I don’t know man, I mean – you left me for a girl” he sighed. “It’s though”.</p>
<p>“You haven’t even <em>noticed</em>! You were too occupied, <em>flirting</em> with Annabeth and –” he sighed and whimpered, as Piper elbowed him in the ribs. He turned, only to see an accusing gaze from the girl. She was telling him to shut up and stop teasing him, to let the time pass and let them notice by themselves. He snorted, because she had been around him for a month, but he could already read her facial expression.</p>
<p>“We didn’t – I was just – I mean… Oh, fuck you, Grace” Percy flushed, flustered and embarrassed, as he took a step back, distancing himself from the girl. He didn’t have to look at the girl at his side to know that she was pulling a face at him and angrily shouting ‘<em>See what you did</em>’ with just her eyes and her enchanting gaze. He was his own worst enemy.</p>
<p>“Whoa! You kiss your mother with that mouth, Jackson?” Leo asked, hyperactively turning on his chair and playing with something in his hand. His eyes were just as mischievous as the Stoll brothers’, but way scarier, because he had the brain to build tricks. In the month he had known him, Leo had always been working on something, from origami to build a mini robot that was capable of cleaning the floor from crumbs of food. It would pick them up with his hands and collect them in his butt, something that the young inventor found extremely humorous and funny.</p>
<p>“Every day without failing, Repair Boy” Percy flushed him a shining and pearly smile. He could joke about everything, but not when it came to his mother. He was a mama’s boy as much as Thalia was a dark girl, it just was the most important part of his character. Family was everything to Percy, probably given the history that brought them where they stood now and started the tradition/obsession for blue food. Annabeth, beside him, was laughing silently.</p>
<p>Back when they were ten and Sally Jackson started baking blue cookies for Percy to bring to school, Jason thought she was the coolest mom and he wished his would have been just a little like her. When they were fifteen and she got engaged to Mr. Blofis, their English teacher in high school, he was embarrassed every time he walked into the Jackson household and the man was there. Now they were about to turn twenty-two and he had learned the real story, the one Percy and aunt Sally kept from him and his cousins for years: he was now ashamed of how poorly he behaved, still believed that she was the coolest mom in the world, but she had also become one of the people he most looked up to, with her strength, her courage and her beauty. She was stronger than anyone he had ever known, and he wished he would have known earlier, so he could stand by her and Percy.</p>
<p>“I know you played a new song” Will took the floor. He was still by Nico’s side and had one hand extremely close to the boy’s on the side of his chair. “I’m sorry I miss –”</p>
<p>“Rachel?” Percy questioned.</p>
<p>Jason turned, following Percy’s eyes. He could see her, her hair was still as red as the brightest fire, but she was obviously older now. Her pants didn’t have any stain of paint scattered around but wrapped her legs perfectly. She was a little taller than he remembered, and her eyes were still as fierce-y as before. She was walking calmly and elegantly in their direction, a gorgeous smile on her face and her hands in her pockets, as if she was a little intimidated.</p>
<p>She stopped a meter from them and stood still. She seemed her old self, just wiser and more mature. Jason could see how Percy was in love with her three years before. She was beautiful and had this enchanting aura around her, that made her look as a fairy.</p>
<p>“Hi, Percy. It’s good to see you again” she said. The music stopped, or maybe it was the tension around them that muffled every sound around. Whatever it was, it was like silence had surrounded them.</p>
<p>Percy and Rachel kept looking at each other, studying each other, stunned. Annabeth was just in the middle of the fight of glazes and her eyes kept moving from Percy to Rachel and vice versa. She was clearly confused by the dynamic, but she understood that there was deep history between the two of them. Her cheeks were red, but she was not embarrassed. It was not a nice, cute red, but it was a dark and thick one.</p>
<p>“I – Rachel! I thought you were at the Academy!” Percy said, finally moving and rushing to Rachel and hugging her.</p>
<p>Jason had to remind himself that, before dating, the two of them were best friends, so close and intimate with each other, that when they became an official couple there was barely any difference in how they acted around each other. The only thing that really changed was the kissing and the sex.</p>
<p>The girl clasped her arms around him and tightened the hug. They were so close that, in the dimly lit room, it was hard to say where Percy was standing and where Rachel’s body was. Their bodies were fused together, and it was hard to look at the scene.</p>
<p>“That was three years ago, idiot. I’m attending NYU now and getting ready to inherit my father’s company. And totally<em>change</em> it to make it eco-friendly” she explained.</p>
<p>Percy started laughing. “Have you already planned out how to?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Of course, who do you think you’re talking to?” she questioned him, hurt by his inquiry, as if she couldn’t believe he was actually asking him that.</p>
<p>“You’re right” he said. He took a step back and openly checked her out. Someone puffed. “Look at you! You look <em>incredible</em>, seriously” he complimented her.</p>
<p>She covered her eyes with one arm but smiled widely. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Your mom’s cookies still haven’t changed your perfect body” she said.</p>
<p>Percy hit his abs, showing off how built he was. Swimming did miracles and, if he wasn’t so afraid of water, he would have started following his cousin in his long swimming years ago. He never really felt safe when he was too far away from the shore, so he would remain close and play volleyball with Thalia and his cousins. He had other ways to keep his body healthy and strong, which included running in the morning before university and working out in the night before bed. It was hard, but at least it wasn’t for nothing.</p>
<p>“How I missed you!” Percy said, before hugging the girl again. She gladly accepted and closed her eyes, enjoying the embrace.</p>
<p>They started talking, but they were close, and the music was loud, so it became impossible for any of them to actually hear what they were saying. Soon enough everyone lost interest in staring at the couple and resumed talking and joking, as they were doing before Rachel’s arrival. Only one person was not back discussing the new band’s name and which Avengers was actually the strongest (Jason thought it was Thor, but the others were divided between Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch). Annabeth was glancing back to Percy and Rachel, every few seconds, sad and curious and nervous. She played with the straw in her half empty glass and went back to study the closeness between the two. Jason and Piper approached her and sat at her side. The two girls had an extremely intense conversation just with their eyes and, in the end, Piper appeared to have won. Annabeth sighed and let her drink go, trying hard not to turn back to the dance floor.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, Percy came to say that he was going away with Rachel, to walk her home and catch up. He didn’t give Annabeth another look and she noticed it all too well.</p>
<p>“So, who is she?” Piper finally asked, when Percy was out of ear. The question caught the other girl’s attention and she stared at Jason intensely. He felt sorry for her.</p>
<p>“It’s Rachel” he said. “His ex-girlfriend and his first real love”.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>When he woke up the next morning, at five, Jason wanted to ditch his daily run for the first time in years. He turned in his bed and tried to find motivation in himself to get up from his comfortable bed. All he could think about was his time with Piper, their stargazing session, that was soon replaced by a make out one.</p>
<p>Their first kiss was even better than he had imagined. Piper’s lips were soft, and he felt addicted to the taste of her tongue and the feeling of her curves around, under and on top of him. He felt giddy and dizzy and he couldn’t understand how in the world someone like her was there, in a park, at night, looking at the stars and kissing his lips as if her life depended on it. Sure as hell, Jason’s life depended on her kisses, because after tasting her, he couldn’t bring himself to stay away from her for more than one second. It was hard walking away, once they reached Piper’s building. He kissed her at least twelve times, before she pushed him away and ordered him to leave her alone and go home already. They smiled at each other and kissed another twelve times, before he finally gave up and followed her order, walking backwards until the door of the building closed behind the girl, and he couldn’t see her anymore. He had the biggest smile walking home, and he didn’t care that it took him an hour and a half, and it was already four when he finally got to bed. It was the best day of his life, and he would have gone through months of sleepless nights, if it meant to spend them with Piper, kissing her and telling her all her secrets and his desires.</p>
<p>Of course, when his alarm went off an hour after he was finally sleeping (and dreaming about her ever changing eyes), he thought that he could skip his morning jog for once and sleep another hour. When Percy came to pick him up at seven fifteen, he was hanging to the wall, so he wouldn’t fall to the ground. His eyelids barely opened as he entered the car, the two decided to grab a triple espresso coffee, hoping that would wake them up and give enough adrenaline to at least go through the first few hours of the day.</p>
<p>It worked. Along with loud music, coffee was the best medicine to everything, and Jason was grateful to whoever invented it. He would bet it was Italian, but he couldn’t be sure about it.</p>
<p>It was only half an hour into the drive to university that they found enough strength within themselves to start talking. Jason was more interested in Percy’s details of his talk with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, a name that he never thought he would have heard again. But his cousin had other plans in his head and started interrogating him about his night with Piper.</p>
<p><em>Did they kiss?</em> (Yes, a lot. We made out to the point that I totally forgot my name and that we were in a park, which could have gotten us arrested. No, seriously dude, it was totally not PG-14). <em>What did he feel for her?</em> (Pretty much everything. I’m sure the sun is born from her eyelashes and her smile is what gives people a reason to live. No matter how much we have talked, I can always find something to talk about with her and I want to always be by her side). <em>Are they official yet</em>? (Nop. I want to take things slow and she agrees. It’s not just a story. I feel like this can be <em>the</em> story, that she is my destiny, and I don’t want to waste my chance because of my lack of judgment). <em>Did she like the song?</em>(Bro, she <em>loved</em> it. She was crying and telling how much she cared about me and how that song was the best thing that someone has ever done for her. Her happiness made me feel… fulfilled, like that was what I was meant for. I want to write billions of songs about her, her smile, her taste, her generosity and her terrible jokes. I want to keep making her feel as she felt, hearing that song. And sure I also want those kisses she gave me last night, as a thank you). <em>What is his next move gonna be?</em> (I don’t know, really. We are going out again tomorrow night and we are probably kissing again. I was thinking of going out some more and maybe asking her to spend the night next Saturday, after the concert? I don’t wanna scare her and lose her, but I think that it is safe, right? I mean I’m not inviting her to have sex and we don’t really –) <em>Jason, stop talking, seriously man. It’s gonna be fine. Stop overthinking and understand that the girl wants you as much as you want her</em>.</p>
<p>After that one last comment from Percy, Jason stayed quiet for a few minutes, thinking about his cousin’s words. He, then, thought about Piper and how she told him that she wouldn’t disappear from his life. Everyone, even Thalia and Nico, kept telling him that they were perfect for each other and that he should believe more in himself. It was hard being confident, when you’re fighting to keep the most amazing creature the gods have ever created by your side. He was just too scared to lose her, someone he was sure would have been his true love.</p>
<p>If aunt Sally was around, she would have said something like: love and life are worth nothing, if you’re not scared of losing them. It’s fear that makes you understand how much you care.</p>
<p>“Okay, enough talking about me” he said, brushing his hands on his jeans and taking off his glasses to clean them. They weren’t really dirty, but he needed to do something with his hands, before he took the phone and sent Piper five more texts (he had already texted her ten times in the morning, just to tell her how much he missed her and how much he enjoyed the night before and he was looking forward to do it again. Gods, he was totally gone for her). “Let’s talk about you, my dearest friend” he announced, putting his hand and Percy’s thigh and patting it a couple of times.</p>
<p>“What about me?” he was disoriented. His eyes weren’t moving from the street in front of him, always being careful with his beloved car.</p>
<p>“Annabeth? Rachel? How Annabeth was totally and completely jealous when you left her and started talking to Rachel?” he asked. “And don’t let me start on how she started acting when you left with her and I told her she is your ex-girlfriend” he busted out. She had completely lost it, couldn’t focus on any discussion that was happening. At some point Leo had to forcibly drag her home, as she kept un-focusing and tripping over people while they were dancing. It was funny, at the beginning, but then it became just a little awkward.</p>
<p>“Why did you tell her?” Percy asked, indignant. His knuckles turned white from holding the wheel a little bit too strongly and his leg, the one that was set on the clutch, started bouncing up and down, scaring Jason. If he only pushed down a little too hard, they would have found themselves in the middle of a car accident.</p>
<p>That was the reason why he proposed his friend to shift roles, asking him to stop and let him drive from that point onward. Percy happily obliged and, once he was on the passenger seat, he started bumping both legs up and down, making Jason go totally nuts.</p>
<p>“Annabeth was jealous of me?” Percy asked, hopefully. His cheeks were fine for once, but he was looking like a lost puppy, his sea-green eyes wide open, his eyebrows lifted and his mouth trembling slowly.</p>
<p>“She was. She totally, absolutely, definitely was jealous of Rachel and how you totally forgot her existence when the redhead approached us” he confirmed.</p>
<p>Percy hadn’t been very vocal about Rachel, even when they broke up, he hadn’t talked about it a lot, but preferred writing his emotions down. Jason was looking forward to the day where they would have been opened to each other about girls and heartbreak and feelings. He hated how society and labels considered men only those who were acting like douches and though, as if they didn’t have feelings. They did and he wanted to discuss them as girls did, together, with food and alcohol helping them being absolutely honest about their emotions, with no one to judge you if you cry, because men aren’t supposed to cry.</p>
<p>Flash news: men cry, get over it.</p>
<p>“I didn’t forget about her” Percy protested, slapping his hand down on his right knee.</p>
<p>“You forgot about all of us” Jason rebutted and smiled at his cousin. “But it’s okay, Perce. It’s okay to catch up with an old … whatever she was. And it’s okay if you want to have private conversations in crowded clubs or want to stay away from your friends for one night” he told him, trying to calm him down. “You need to have time for yourself and secrets and privacy. We love each other, but I don’t need to know about how you used to have sex with Rachel and talked about it last night”.</p>
<p>“We so did not talk about it!” he laughed. “We just caught up. What she’s doing, what I’m doing, what we are going to do with our lives after. Boyfriends, girlfriends and whatnot. You know, same ol’ same ol’” he said, as if wasn’t talking about his great high school love story.</p>
<p>“You seem happy” he stated, looking over at his cousin for one second, before focusing on the road again.</p>
<p>“I am. I missed her” he said. “I can’t really come to you guys to complain about my annoying cousins, can I?” they laughed together and agreed on that. “Annabeth was jealous?”</p>
<p>“Are you serious? She literally huffed and puffed when you were talking to Rachel last night!” he exclaimed. He was looking forward to having that conversation with Percy. Maybe, if he played the right cards, he could finally make him realise the crush he had on the girl and make him act up on it. Piper told him to stay out of it, yes, but she wasn’t in the car with them. Out of sight, out of mind, right?</p>
<p>“Yeah, and she blew my house down. Too much kisses make you see love everywhere, Jason” he said, laughing it off. “And, besides, I’m going out with Rachel as soon as I can”.</p>
<p>If he wasn’t such a brilliant driver, Jason would have turned off the car. But he was brilliant and managed to keep the car going, while shouting at Percy for making the greatest mistake of his life, right after shaving his head when they were in seventh grade. It took it a whole year to grow back decently and he never ever touched his hair again.</p>
<p>“Are you an idiot?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“You’re going on a date with Rachel, again!” he yelled.</p>
<p>“It’s not a date. We’re just catching up all the time we have lost” he said, raising his hands up.</p>
<p>“Why are you misleading the poor girl, when you have clearly feelings for another girl? One, I might add, that feels the same. Way about you?”</p>
<p>“You need to stop with this Annabeth story. Boys and girls can be friends, you know, it’s not middle school anymore” he said, annoyed with Jason’s comments.</p>
<p>“You are happy she’s jealous, but … You know what? I’m not saying a word about it anymore” Jason said, and he swore he heard Percy mutter thank gods. “But when you’ll understand you made a terrible mistake, and you will understand it, I’ll be the one that will tell you ‘I told you so’. Mark my words, Kelp Head” he said.</p>
<p>“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Stapler”.</p>
<p>“When will you all stop calling me Stapler?” he asked.</p>
<p>“When you will finally realise that if I find a girl attractive doesn’t mean I want to date her” Percy said. “If that was the case, I would want to date Piper as well, but –”</p>
<p>Jason interrupted him. “Don’t say another word about Piper, <em>Perseus</em>. And, besides, I’m not saying you want to date Annabeth just for how attractive she is. Not even you are that shallow” he commented, rolling his eyes.</p>
<p>“Thanks?” Percy responded, turning his face to look at him confused, just for a second. He was still driving and, especially with his cousins, he was extremely cautious.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome. But, please, Percy, even you must have noticed that you are always with Annabeth, always talking to her, always wanting to make her laugh. Not even you can be that… oblivious!”</p>
<p>“Oblivious to what?” he asked. “I told you, Jason, she’s a friend and I like talking to her. She has good opinions on stuff, and she knows a lot of nerd lingo. You know she has a book about The Parthenon. I mean a single book only about it, like 600 hundred pages that explain in detail every single piece of marble! And she talked about it for an hour at our lunch date on Saturday” he said, enthusiastically. His voice was full of love and affection and he was smiling brightly.</p>
<p>“Lunch date?” Jason asked, interested.</p>
<p>“Lunch regular hangs” Percy corrected, annoyed. “Stop twisting my words!”</p>
<p>“I didn’t twist shit, you said it!”</p>
<p>“Oh, shut up!”</p>
<p>“You, shut up, or I’ll tell your mother about that time you snuck out in middle school”.</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t dare!”</p>
<p>“Oh, but I would, Jackson!”</p>
<p>“Just keep your eyes open for the next time we’ll be on stage. Just wait and see, Grace” Percy threatened, wickedly.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello everybody, thank you for being here. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This time the strong themes were left behind, to focus more on a lovesick Jason and an oblivious Percy. It was fun narrating from another POV and  I wanted to explore other couples a little and, especially, to comment on how much stupid Annabeth and Percy are.</p>
<p>As you may have read, Jason had a brief anxiety attack. I have a history of panic attacks and I just want to let you know that it was a one-time thing for him, it’s not something he is suffering from, differently from other people. He was just really anxious, and I wanted to portray it, but it’s not coming up again. So don’t be surprised if nobody will speak of it again, it was just something out of the ordinary for him, but not something that will happen again.</p>
<p>Finally, yes I did take the most depressing and terrible chapter title from the RiordanVerse and turned into something positive. It did not happen for me and it is just another happy song. Thank you for coming to my tedtalk. </p>
<p>Have a good week and thank you very much for reading this story, it means a lot to me</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. FOUR</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Percy is oblivious and Annabeth finally starts to open up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Note: English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">FOUR</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">Trigger Warning: mention of panic attacks and death.</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span class="u">I wanted to apologise for the delay. The story is almost complete, so it will be uploaded to its end. Unfortunately, I have experienced some personal problems and mental health issues in the past months, which distanced me from social media, publishing and even writing. I had some other university commitments to take care of, as well, but since classes started again, I have a little bit of time to focus on writing again. Now, I just need Fran to check all up for me, which means we are responding to her schedule. I hope you can understand, I don’t want to rush her, because what she’s doing is totally a favour for me.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>PERCY</strong>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Tears come streaming down your face, when you something you cannot replace</em>
  </strong>
  <strong> – Fix You, Coldplay</strong>
</p>
<p>Percy picked his phone up once again, hoping that this time there would have been a text. He sighed when he read <em>No new notifications</em> on his screen. He stared at his lock screen. He lost himself in memories. Annabeth was still absent from his life, and he was still totally miserable.</p>
<p>Percy used to have a picture of the sea, taken by his father, as a lock screen. He had found the picture going through some photos of his mother, one day, when he was too bored to study but too lazy to get dressed and go out. He stayed in his room and picked up all those photo albums his mom had around the house and went through them one by one. There was one called<em> Po’s</em> and he kept it last. He found dozens and dozens of pictures of sea life, fish and the ocean. It was spectacular and he had written down the name of every place the man took pictures at. His father had written the day and time on the back of every picture: Percy used his time to put those photos in chronological order. The closer he got to his birth year, the less pictures there were. The last picture was dated a few months before his birth, and it took him five minutes to realise it was the last picture he had taken, before disappearing. There was a little note for his mother, along with the usual place and time: <em>I wish I was with you and the baby now</em>. One last message from the man, before dying.</p>
<p>Percy imagined his mother receiving the picture, time after being told he was lost at sea, Percy still in her womb and feeling alone and scared.</p>
<p>The picture was beautiful: the sun was setting down on the ocean, nothing to see but yellowish water and the immensity of the world. He looked at the photo and imagined what his father and his colleagues must have thought, seeing that view before them. Did they wish they were home? Did they discuss about their lives? Did they know that was the last time they ever see the sunset? Did they ever regret their decision?</p>
<p>He scanned the picture day after day and for years it had been his lock screen. He would check his phone just to see the picture and remember his father, at times. The connection he was deprived of when he wasn’t even born. Sometimes he dreamt about a warm smile and he always thought it was his father, even if it was impossible. He just liked daydreaming, imagining how it would be to grow up with one and not just getting one for his fifteenth birthday.</p>
<p>He changed the lock screen about a month into his relationship with Rachel. Jason and Piper had been dating for a month and a half by then, and Annabeth, Leo and Will had entered their clique three months before, but to Percy it seemed as if they had always been friends. He could not imagine his life without Annabeth’s blonde curly hair, her grey eyes, their Saturday lunches after her work shifts, their long calls at night and her support to the band.</p>
<p>Annabeth was smiling, holding a banner, “<em>Demiblo-</em>” was written on it, as part of it was falling and enclosing her hips. Percy was kneeling in front of her, a stupid smirk on his face, while he was pointing above his head to where the girl was standing, and the name of the band was written. They took that photo at the beginning of March, when the girl gave him the banner during one of their lunches on Saturday. He cried while he stared at it, and she recorded and sent the video to their group chat. Annabeth also gave him a card, saying <em>Congrats on finally choosing a name, it was about damn time</em>, which made Percy laugh so much he fell from the chair of the fast food. They went always to the same exact place and the picture was also taken in front of it. Part of the logo could be seen behind Annabeth. He liked that photo, it featured some of the things he could now not let go off. Something he didn’t know he needed but found himself hanging up on.</p>
<p>He changed the lock screen on <em>April the 12<sup>th</sup></em>. He remembered the date because it was the day Annabeth called him, crying.</p>
<p>It was the anniversary of her mother’s death. It was also the first time she addressed it. He knew her mother passed away, he knew her father remarried to Helen and had two brothers. He knew Annabeth didn’t even remember a time when her parents, her biological parents were together. They divorced when she was four and a year after she was already living with two screaming babies and a new mother. She didn’t mind it, nor she has ever hidden it. She just didn’t want to talk about her mother, as if it was a secret that she wanted to keep for herself as long as she could.</p>
<p>He had picked his phone at the first ring. It was past midnight, and everyone was sleeping, but Percy. He should have been, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen, that he should have stayed awake as long as he could. He learned to trust his gut at a very young age, so he stayed awake. He talked to Jason on the phone until the latter fell asleep. After him he called Rachel, Nico and, finally, Frank. But at midnight everyone was sleeping, but him, and the feeling was still there. So, when the phone rang, he was quick to pick it up and take it to his ear and greet the other person, without even checking the caller ID.</p>
<p>“Hello?” he asked, rubbing his eye and sitting in his bed in a comfortable position.</p>
<p>No one responded. He could hear long, deep breaths and sighs coming from the phone, sobbing and snuffing. Someone was crying.</p>
<p>“Are you there?” he asked. But again he got no answer.</p>
<p>He moved his phone in front of his face and the light almost blinded him. It took him a minute to see enough to read the name. He got worried in a matter of seconds.</p>
<p>“Annabeth? What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked, hurrying to get up and look for some clothes. “I knew something was wrong, I could feel it” he said, locating his T-shirt and rushing to wear it, not even caring if it was backwards or not. He put his shoes on, while trying to calm Annabeth down and understand what was happening.</p>
<p>“Do I have to come pick you up, somewhere? I am already dressed, I’m going to get the car” he informed her, taking a piece of paper and writing down a note for his mom.</p>
<p>
  <em>Annabeth problem. Taking the car. Love you.</em>
</p>
<p>“No” she murmured through the phone. Her voice was so quiet, that it was almost completely covered by her sobbing and weeping.</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Don’t come” she asked him, sniffling again. “Please”.</p>
<p>“But –” he tried to protest.</p>
<p>“Please” she begged again.</p>
<p>“Okay” he gave up, going back to the kitchen and throwing the note in the bin. He walked slowly to his room and opened the window. It looked over a balcony and he sat on the floor, the cold wind rushing through his hair and chills down his spine. It was mid-April, but nights were still too cold to stay out without a jacket. “Talk to me, please” he added. Hearing Annabeth crying and not being with her, not being able to do anything, was killing him. He didn’t care if the world would be collapsing in that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was that she was okay, that she would be smiling again soon.</p>
<p>“It happened seven years ago” she confessed.</p>
<p><em>Oh</em>, he thought.</p>
<p>“<em>Oh</em>” he said.</p>
<p>He stayed silent. He listened to Annabeth crying, while his own heart was <em>breaking</em>. There was no way he could take away all the pain she was in at that moment. He couldn’t understand her. He never knew his father, but she did know her mother and <em>lost</em> her. He had no idea what words he could say to someone who not only lost her mother but also loved her. Jason and Thalia hated their mother and, when she was gone, they were sad, but relief got the best of them: not worrying about her drunk in the street, not worrying about her hurting anyone. They felt empty without her but felt also safer and calmer. Nico lost his sister, but he still had a mother, even if she left to his father and stepmother’s care soon after Bianca’s death. They all had lost Bianca, sure, but it was different. It was all so sudden, they were all so crushed. And nobody wanted to talk about it, but nobody lived with that grief consuming them every day as Annabeth did with the memory of her mother. Annabeth was still carrying her mother in her heart, destroying herself more and more minute after minute. It was something Percy understood soon enough.</p>
<p>Annabeth always spoke about her mother, her love for the Empire State Building and all her books about architecture, that her daughter kept and now filled all the shelves in her room. She confessed how much she loved the summer spent with her mother, wandering about New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and every city they could go to, looking at the monuments and wait for her mother to tell all she knew about them. She always knew something: how they were built, why, by whom and some curious trivia about it. Annabeth told him that they were planning to go to Greece and Italy together, to finally see ancient sights together, before... He never asked before what. He knew, and she never told him, because she knew as well. It was too hard.</p>
<p>“When my mum told me why I didn’t have a father like all my friends did, I was six. Everyone was bringing their fathers and mothers to school for Careers Day and I only had mom coming, a bag of candies for all my classmates and stories about the ocean and boat trips. She entertained everyone, but I was the only one who only brought one person” he started saying, to distract her. But also to finally sharing his grief with someone who could understand what feeling the void meant. “She told me he sailed to be with the fish and sharks, but he never forgot us. For a few years she got me two presents for my birthday and gave me one saying that it was from my father, with his best wishes” his eyes started to sting. He sighed. “I was twelve when I told her she could stop getting me a second present, that my father would have not come back and <em>claimed</em> me as his son. I think it shattered her, understanding that I wasn’t a kid anymore, but a boy. I grew up and she never noticed. For my thirteenth birthday I got just one present and it was more than plenty for me”.</p>
<p>His mother, Sally Jackson, was one of the most special creatures Percy has ever met. She remarried after his father left them. It wasn’t a good marriage, but they never talked about it out loud, with anyone. It took Percy years to realise it: Gabe Ugliano, her first husband, hit her. It happened fast. He was back from another year at another boarding school, bringing the news of his expulsion. His mother comforted him with a weekend at Mountoak, where his father had a cabin, that was now Percy’s. Gabe wasn’t really thrilled at the idea of letting them go and required to be paid with food for the weekend. Percy <em>snapped</em>. His mother got in between. Gabe <em>raised</em> his hand. Sally <em>twitched</em>.</p>
<p>The woman had to <em>physically</em> carry away her son, as his face turned red and his knuckles white. Later that night, as the ocean was weaving in front of them and the water was wetting their feet, he asked her if she wanted Gabe gone, if she wanted to be finally freed of that monster. If they needed the money, he would get a job. If she needed someone to look after the house, he would do that. He was even keen to kill the man, if that’s what her mother needed.</p>
<p>She smiled and said something that would have rested with Percy for the rest of his days, something he would always live by.</p>
<p>
  <em>“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself”.</em>
</p>
<p>Bottom line was: you don’t have to look out for me, I’m capable of looking out for myself. And she was. A little time after Gabe was gone and nobody saw him again. Sally Jackson was finally free, owner of a Candy Shop and ready to go back to school, get her diploma and finally fulfil her dream of becoming a writer. To Percy, she was the most amazing woman, the most powerful, smart and determined person he had ever met.</p>
<p>Until Annabeth came around.</p>
<p>“Anyways, she met Paul when she went to a Parents-Teacher meeting. He was my English teacher in freshman year, and well also the years after. They got married in summer, after I turned fifteen. After all these years, I still wonder what kind of mother goes to a Parent-Teacher meeting and comes home with a date” he scoffed.</p>
<p>On the other side of the line, Annabeth chuckled. Percy sighed in relief, hearing that he was being successful in distracting her and made her laugh. Kind of.</p>
<p>“My parents were high school sweethearts, only in university. They met a few months in the first year and never let go of each other until almost ten years later. Sometimes I wonder if it’s my fault they separated, you know?” Percy was about to start crying, hearing the impossible sad tone in Annabeth’s voice. “They were going strong, and the kid ruined their happiness”.</p>
<p>“Don’t” he said. “Don’t ever say it. You could never. You can only bring happiness in people’s lives. It’s not your fault, it’s no one’s. Shit happens: people fall in love, fall out of love, cheat and don’t <em>fucking</em> understand what they feel. But kids, it’s not their fault”.</p>
<p>“How can you say it?”</p>
<p>“I know” he just said, matter-of-factly. “You brought happiness in <em>my</em> life, more than what I had before I met you. So I know that it could not be your fault” he told her. His tone was harsh, but sweet. He wanted her to understand how much people needed her in their lives but didn’t want to sound too rough. She was going through a bad day, and he didn’t mean to add more to her already full plate. “She died Annabeth. You couldn’t predict it, you know? But she never left you. She is with you every step of the way, every breath you take and every day you stop in front of the Empire State Building. She has always been at your side. As long as you will keep her memory alive, you will never be alone” he said.</p>
<p>Annabeth cried harder, more deeply on the phone. Her breathing was interrupted by hiccups, sniffles and weeps. She didn’t say a word, but kept breathing near the phone, which was Percy’s only lead on the fact that she hadn’t hung up the phone.</p>
<p>“Thank you” she finally said. She sighed. Percy could feel the relief letting go its grip on Annabeth, as she was told what she needed to hear all along. At last. <em>You will never be alone</em>. People love you.</p>
<p>He felt the urgency to write down words, music, lyrics, confessions and feelings. He wanted to put down in words how much she was loved, needed, appreciated. He wanted to write her a song, just so she could listen to it when she felt down, and she wouldn’t feel alone anymore. He wanted to let her know she was worth it. She <em>was</em> worth more than a song can do, but it was the only skill Percy had, it was the only thing he can do.</p>
<p>He wrote, as he heard Annabeth cry on the other side of the line. She said a few words now and then. She told him about her mother’s dream to open her own Architecture Firm, a dream she was following and realising for her. She told him all about her strawberry milkshakes and how they drew together, forgetting time and skipping dinners. Their laughs and the Yankee baseball hat, her last gift to her daughter. While still putting down concepts and ideas and phrases the girl told him, he told her about his father’s photo album. His idea of picking up Marine Biology just to honour his memory (just as Annabeth did with her mother) and, as much as he liked it, he couldn’t see himself being one. It was the first time he said it out loud: he wants to work with kids in need, help them, leading them towards a better life. He felt like betraying his father, sometimes, but he couldn’t live his life for him. He wouldn’t have made the same mistake he did, as well: he wouldn’t have abandoned his family, he would stick around, be clingy and annoying with her pregnant wife or his husband, while he tried dressing their child and fail. She told him that she could imagine him being annoying. He pretended to feel hurt by her comment, but that only made her laugh more. They talked for hours, and, eventually, Annabeth fell asleep, her breathing hard, as she sniffled once again. He wished her goodnight, before closing the call.</p>
<p>He smiled at her phone, looking at the minutes they just spent talking. He got to the photo gallery and chose a picture, one that would always remind him of her smile and the joy she brought whenever she was around. He wished he could have enough words to put that emotion in words, but he could only keep writing and reminding her how strong she was through lyrics.</p>
<p>That day he wrote a new song, one he was extremely proud of and would become one of their most famous, in the years after. But it was also the last day his friendship with Annabeth remained as it was in the beginning: pure, sincere, truthful and great.</p>
<p>From that moment on, everything would have changed, and he didn’t know the half of it still.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>It all started on Friday morning. Annabeth had called him a few days before and they had discussed their lost parents. He tried to comfort her, and, as it seemed, he managed to get through the idea that she was at fault was absolute <em>bullshit</em>. He closed the call only when she fell asleep on him, thinking that nothing had changed. But something had. He wasn’t sure of how, when or why. He got to Hermes’ Hut at eight, as he did every Friday, and met with Jason (and Piper), Thalia and Frank, and they started setting the stage for the night. It was just as it always was. Annabeth, Leo, Hazel, Rachel and Nico (with Will always by his side) would get there in half an hour and they would have drinks and talk until it was show time. It was just as typical as it always was. Even during spring break nobody left the City and they spent the week together, having lunches and annoying the hell out of each other at the Candy Shop, Annabeth’s bookstore and Piper’s café. It was fun and brought them closer together. They were a group now, a real, messy and incredible gang, and Percy never had one of those. He was happy. Nothing could had have changed it.</p>
<p>Only Annabeth was <em>ignoring</em> him. She arrived with the rest of the group and sat the further away from Percy she could. She hadn’t said a word to him, hadn’t looked at him once. He was sitting with Rachel by his side, one of his arms around her shoulders and her hand on his chest. Everyone was talking and laughing, and Annabeth was sitting on the side, smiling, but not making any effort to enter in the conversation.</p>
<p>“So… I invited a girl to the concert” Will said, between sips of his drink. “She listens to the band, and I have never seen her talk to someone. I thought she could use some friends” he added. “Mh, Thalia, this is really good”.</p>
<p>Nico turned to look at him, shocked and displeased.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Will” Thalia thanked, smiling, mixing some other drink.</p>
<p>“When it comes to girls, Will, the more the merrier” Leo said, with his usual boy-ish tone of voice and, probably, as he started agitating his hands. Not once since Percy met him, Leo kept his hands still for more than three seconds. He was totally incapable. He was even more ADHD than Percy, which he thought impossible, before meeting the guy.</p>
<p>“That is so wrong, Leo. Seriously, you have a problem” Piper said, shaking her head. Jason giggled at her side and kissed her cheek. They were very affectionate with one other, always touching and kissing each other’s face, without being too clingy and disturbing. They never left each other’s side, and, to Percy and Thalia (they discussed it), it was about time for Blonde Superman to find someone that was totally invested in him as he was in her. </p>
<p>“I would say I am perfectly normal” he snapped back, grinning. He looked like an elf.</p>
<p>“There’s nothing normal about you, Scrawny Boy” Piper laughed.</p>
<p>Leo’s eyes caught <em>fire</em>. He lost his grin as fast as he got it and his face became red in frustration, anger and amusement. “I am average!”</p>
<p>“I hope at least one thing of you is, because the rest …” Will said. Percy couldn’t contain herself anymore and started laughing. He cried until he couldn’t breathe anymore. Soon enough everyone followed his lead and their side of the club filled up with laughter and joy.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry man, it’s more than that. I’ll let you know I –” he was responding.</p>
<p>“Okay! Let’s not, shall we?” Annabeth said, shutting the conversation, before the boys started comparing their measurements to see which one was more a ‘man’. “I’ll let you know that this is no way to show who’s more of a <em>man</em>” she said, quoting the word <em>man</em> with her fingers. “Sometimes boys can be childish and absolutely idiotic” she sighed, again. All the girls started laughing and agreeing with her.</p>
<p>Percy and the boys felt offended for a second, before joining in the laughter.</p>
<p>“What are we laughing about?” someone asked.</p>
<p>Everyone turned around. Standing there was a beautiful girl: she had caramel hair, that looked soft and Percy bet had a good smell, braided over one shoulder, dark almond-shaped eyes and a beautiful and sweet smile. She was wearing a Greek style dress, with a low circular neckline in gold. He was mesmerised by her. She appeared timeless.</p>
<p>Percy looked around. Everyone was staring at the girl. Jason had a dumb expression, Frank was surprised, Nico and Will were smiling politely, but didn’t look as starstruck as the other boys, and Leo … Leo was on the ground, looking at the girl as he had never seen someone as gorgeous as her. The girls all had a sweet smile on their faces, none of them jealous of the girl and the effect she had on others.</p>
<p>“Calypso!” Will got up from his seat and walked to her. He hugged her, and she was too surprised by his action to exchange it in time. “I’m glad you came”.</p>
<p>“Hope I’m not over-dressed” she responded, smiling at him, as he offered her his seat. He stood behind Nico’s chair.</p>
<p>“Not at all!” Hazel intervened. “I love your dress. Where did you buy it?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Oh, thank you” Calypso blushed. Someone (probably Leo) squealed. “I made it” she confessed, a little embarrassed by all the attention she was receiving.</p>
<p>“It’s strange to see you in something different from jeans, white T-shirt and your shocking-pink leather jacket” Will told her.</p>
<p>“I thought I could dress up nicely for once” she was still embarrassed. No one of them was wearing anything different from skinny jeans and some band T-shirt. Only Piper had a dress on, but was much simpler, not nearly as elegant as Calypso’s.</p>
<p>“You look stunning” Percy said. Rachel gave him a look. And so did Annabeth.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Percy,” if it was possible, she became even redder.</p>
<p>“Will told us you know the band… Calypso, right?” Jason asked.</p>
<p>She nodded and was about to say something, when she was cut off by Leo. “Calypso? As the Caribbean music?” he asked, as he got up and flashed a smile at the girl. “Hello, Sunshine”.</p>
<p>She huffed, annoyed by his ways. “<em>Don’t</em> call me Sunshine” she said, giving him a dirty look (not of the sexy kind). “Yes, Jason. I love your music. I was very happy to hear that Will knows you. I came to some concerts, but it’s a bit scary on my own in the city, so I avoided going out sometimes” she explained. She was very elegant in the movements.</p>
<p>“Nonsense!” Piper said. “You will come with us now” she suggested. Hazel and Rachel were quick to back her up. Annabeth didn’t say a word but smiled at her.</p>
<p>“Who’s your favourite?” Thalia asked, curious and amused.</p>
<p>The new girl blushed again. “Oh … I don’t … uhm” she stuttered.</p>
<p>“Oh, leave her be, Thalia!” Frank laughed. “I’m Frank and, unlike these idiots who have yet to introduce themselves, I’m happy to meet you” he said. After that everyone quickly introduced themselves, and they started talking.</p>
<p>Calypso fitted well in the group. She commented with them and didn’t stop herself from saying anything. She was funny and fierce. She, like them all, had her share of interest in mythology and liked Hermes and Hephaestus best and, of course, the titan she got her name from. She told them that her parents loved mythology, and, in many occasions, they stumbled upon Calypso’s story. It felt only right for them to name her after the titan when she was born. She had a younger sister, Zoë and, together, they would re-enact many passages from Calypso’s story for their parents. It was their Wednesday’s night special entertainment.</p>
<p>Leo kept going strong after her, but she ignored him. She seemed more interested with Percy, but as soon as she caught upon his relationship with Rachel, she just let it go, respecting them. She talked with Piper and Hazel and even got Annabeth to open up and speak. It was the first time she seemed a little alive since the night started.</p>
<p>They went on stage, and the rush made Percy jittery. If asked, he would have said that there was no better feeling than performing. <em>Nothing</em> gave him the same sense of power and fulfilment. He felt as if he could do anything, as if he was one of those mighty gods they fought about. He felt immortal, invincible, master of the world. He could tame the sea and shape it to his will, he could control the waves and shake the earth. Not even sex reached the same level of ecstasy for him. And no concert was the same, not one crowd. Songs hit differently, and the excitement in the room, in their bodies was always changing, making every time on stage unique. And when he got down and everything was over, he couldn’t wait to start it all over again. He wished to repeat it all over for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>“Man – guys, I can’t believe we are already at the last song” he said, returning on stage after a quick drink break. He felt the sweat dripping down his spine and his hands shaking. His head pounded and he could not hear a word over the screams and the loud music. He had never felt more alive. “This was one of the best gigs we have played. Thank you for being with us tonight” he smiled. He knew girls in the first few rows would have died for it. “I’m Percy. Here at my right there’s Jason, our amazing bassist” he introduced, as Jason started playing a bass solo to show off his abilities. People started cheering, and someone threw a bra on the stage. “His girlfriend probably will not like it” Percy commented, making everyone laugh.</p>
<p>(Only later he would find out that the bra was Piper’s).</p>
<p>“On my left we have Frank. Our latest addition and the best pianist we could ask for. Show us how’s it done, Frankie, my man” he said. Frank snorted at the name but started playing. They were slowly building the music for their final song. “Lastly, we have the most important member of the group. Without her, we wouldn’t stay on track, not once. Give it up for Thalia!” he yelled, as she started playing.</p>
<p>He looked over the crowd and found Rachel and Annabeth, looking at him, side by side, smiling, their eyes shining and … Percy felt himself conflicted for the first time.</p>
<p>“This is <em>Welcome To The War</em>” he introduced the song. The crowd cheered, and many sang along to the lyrics. Correction: that was the best feeling, hearing people singing your lyrics, your songs back to you. He <em>loved</em> being in a band.</p>
<p>They got back to their group after thirty minutes. They had to take care of their babies, their instruments, not wanting anyone else to touch them. When they approached, Rachel jumped in his arms before he could even spot her. Her curly red hair blocked his sight, and Annabeth’s frown was the last thing he saw. He closed his eyes and let himself being embraced by his girlfriend, the one that he had been hooked up on for a whole year, the one who left him heartbroken and hopeful to be with again, eventually. The one he was with and loved.</p>
<p>He reminded himself, <em>to be sure</em>.</p>
<p>He was first to step away from their hug. Percy smiled at Rachel and left her behind, to sit with his friends and enjoy the after-concert-get-together. Calypso and Hazel were talking with Frank and Thalia about the concert, complimenting them for the amazing performance. Will, Nico and Leo were a little bit on the left, talking, but from where he was standing, he couldn’t quite understand the topic of their heated conversation. He could notice Leo’s eyes shifting to Calypso every three seconds, though. Piper and Jason were gods know where, making out, while Annabeth sat at the counter, pretending to be participating, but being a hundred kilometres away with her mind. He made up an excuse with Rachel and quickly got behind Annabeth’s chair. He leaned down and met a sweet honey smell, coming from Annabeth’s ponytail. Her skin looked soft and shiny and more tanned than it was back in January, when they met. His head was empty for a second, as he inhaled as much as he could. He opened his eyes, only noticing he closed them in that moment, and felt himself going a little dizzy.</p>
<p>“Annabeth, uhm” he said. He had to cough, because his voice came out as a squeak. “Can we talk?” he asked. “Outside” he added.</p>
<p>The girl turned around in her seat, and their eyes finally met. Her stormy grey eyes were full of … too much: he saw pain, happiness, fear, knowledge and sorrow. He thought that <em>stormy</em> was the best way to describe them, not because they were grey, but because they were too packed, too expressive, too overwhelmed. <em>She</em> was too overwhelmed. With her mother’s death, all her study, her family so far away and something he could feel she was not saying, a secret that she still had to admit to herself.</p>
<p>He had learned how to read her.</p>
<p>She nodded and, gently, she got up and started walking towards the door. Leo, worryingly, looked at her walking away. Percy turned to look at her as well. He couldn’t believe he thought Calypso moved elegantly, when Annabeth was right there. She was not as put together as the other girl, but, somehow, she looked more graceful and sophisticated than anyone else. She moved confidently and fiercely across the room, not letting anyone touch her without her consent. She was quick to call off guys and let them understand that she was much more than just a piece of ass. And he found himself staring at her, which was <em>stupid</em>, because he had seen her hundreds of times. She’d always been cute, with her smile and her giggles, the princess curls and the way she couldn’t stop talking when it came to a topic that she was passionate about. But she was starting to be seriously <em>beautiful</em>. And he was pulled towards her.</p>
<p>More than he felt pulled towards Rachel.</p>
<p>He started walking in her directions. He was stopped by a strong hand on his arm, long painted red nails were wrapped around his wrist. Rachel looked at him, confused.</p>
<p>“I just need to talk to her for a second. Sorry” he said and freed himself from the grasp.</p>
<p>Annabeth was standing in the same position she was the first time they talked. Outside the same club, at the same odd hour, only months apart. And still he felt she had become his best friend, in such a little time. Every time something good happened, he called her. Every time he had a hard time with a song, he texted her and she was quick to reply with a witty and sarcastic comment. When he was sad, he went back and listened to her voice messages and laughed at her points on why Athena was the best Greek goddess (<em>and no, Percy, it’s not because it was my mother’s name</em>). He relied on Annabeth’s support and presence too much and he could now not live without her by his side.</p>
<p>And, yet, now he felt her more distant than he did the first time they really talked.</p>
<p>She was staring at the stars, reflecting. Percy could <em>see</em> her brain working at maximum speed, while her eyes were trying to locate some constellations in the sky. Her whole body was resting against the wall behind her, as she was embracing herself, a little cold from the chill wind of a mid-April night. He took off his jacket and gave it to her. She turned to look at him and smiled, but not sincerely. He had learned to recognise all her smiles, all her expressions and knew when she was down and when she was okay and when she was faking. She wore the jacket: it looked good on her, she wasn’t much smaller than him.</p>
<p>“What’s up?” he asked. She shrugged. “You’ve ghosted me” he stated.</p>
<p>“I did not” she said back.</p>
<p>“What do you call not answering any call or text from your very concerned friend?” he questioned. “I call it ghosting”.</p>
<p>“I was busy”.</p>
<p>“Doing what?” he pushed. “I got to know you, Annabeth. Something’s up with you,” again, he wasn’t guessing or suggesting, he was stating.</p>
<p>She sighed. “Let it go, Percy” she said, rolling her eyes.</p>
<p>“No, I’m not letting go” he snapped. He moved from the wall and went to stand in front of the girl.</p>
<p>Face to face, they stared into each other’s eyes. He didn’t know what Annabeth was thinking now. Her expression was unreadable and confused and scared a thousand more emotions all together. He, on the other hand, was totally dazzled. She was light and he was blinded. He never thought of her that way before, he never noticed her beauty, and her eyes never hypnotised him. It was all so new, but he was guessing that it was only a discovery for him and not for their shared friends.</p>
<p>He tried to find words to express himself, but the more he looked at her, the more he was speechless, breathless, spellbound. He felt a rush in his hands, the need to touch her overpowering. But he stopped himself. His mother taught him well.</p>
<p>“Percy. Don’t” she said, again. Her tone was harsh and cruel and though. She was trying her hardest to stand in her position, he could read that much in her eyes. Something was bothering her, and she didn’t want to tell him what it was.</p>
<p>“Talk to me, please” he begged her, putting his hand on the wall, next to her head. They were close, too close, but he couldn’t step back, he didn’t want to.</p>
<p>When he stood so close to Rachel, he didn’t feel his skin on fire, shivers long his arms and jelly legs. He, actually, didn’t feel anything at all, but comfort. He wasn’t sure that comfort was all a relationship was. Jason always said that he felt alive and unstoppable when he was with Piper, he would feel his bones shaking and his hands so strong, they could move mountains, he wouldn’t doubt anything and would be ready to take any risk, because he was strong. He felt strong. But Percy never felt anything like that with Rachel. He would feel calm and happy and reassured. He felt the same way when he was with his mother, his sister, Thalia … he wasn’t unstoppable, he felt pulled back, because he didn’t want to leave them behind, not able to protect them.</p>
<p>With Annabeth, on the other hand, he was willing to fall into Tartarus. He felt as if he could slay an entire army, to protect her. He would face Kronos and Gaia and any foe that would stand between him and the girl. He was ready to die, just to protect her. When he heard her cry, on the other side of the line, he felt as if the whole word was falling apart and he was standing there, watching, not fighting for it. He was ready to give up everything, to run to her in the middle of the night, just to make sure she was okay, she was laughing, she wasn’t hurting. She didn’t deserve pain, sorrow. She deserved only happiness, joy.</p>
<p>He knew what all that meant, but he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself, yet. He was happy, being friends with Annabeth, not worrying about saying the right thing in front of her, not worrying about being a nerd and arguing about Greek gods. He had never felt more comfortable with a girl who was not part of his family, and he wanted to enjoy it a little bit more. And, moreover, he didn’t want to risk what it seemed to be a good friendship for a crush, a little, stupid crush that he was sure would go away in a matter of time.</p>
<p>A crush that was not returned.</p>
<p>“I have no idea what you’re expecting me to say!” Annabeth snapped back at him, desperately.</p>
<p>“Try with an explanation” he suggested.</p>
<p>“I have nothing to explain to you, Percy. I have no idea what you want, and I have no time for this shit, now. I have some shit of my own to figure and sort out. You can take your attitude and shove it up your –” she started yelling. Everyone who was out there, smoking and talking, turning to look at them.</p>
<p>Percy was quick to cover her mouth with her hand and give an apologetic look to the people around them. When he turned back, he met the scariest expression he had seen on Annabeth’s face. She could have positively murdered him with her eyes.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to fight you, Annabeth” he said calmly. “I just want to understand why shut me out all of the sudden. You cannot deny that you have stopped answering me in the past days!” He moved his hand, moving it back to its position next to Annabeth’s head.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to – oh, <em>perfect</em>!” she sighed, annoyed and hurt.</p>
<p>Percy was confused. He was often confused when it came to Annabeth, and he hated the feeling. He wasn’t the smartest person around, but he had never been that … dumb.</p>
<p>“Percy?!” someone called him.</p>
<p>He turned. His eyes shot open, and Percy was quick to remove his hand from Annabeth’s side and take a step back. He flushed red and tried to find some words to explain himself, while Rachel, <em>his girlfriend</em>, was carefully, but angrily, walking towards them, followed closely by all their friends. No one had a coat or a jacket (but Leo and Nico and their aviator jackets they always wore), nor did they leave one in the wardrobe. Rachel’s face was still pale, he could see reflections of the neon lights lighting her hair and expression, but his hands where closed in what appeared to be painfully tight fists. She was stiff and rigid and was marching towards them as a mother towards his misbehaving child. The lack of a disappointed or deluded expression on his face made Percy more anxious and scared, than he would have been, if she only had one of those expression on. When people are blank canvases, especially in bad occasions, it was worse. <em>Way</em> worse.</p>
<p>He wanted to disappear. He would rather go down to the Underworld, fight the Minotaur or Polyphemus, or accomplish one of Hercules’ labours. Everything, but facing Rachel.</p>
<p>“What is happening here?” she asked, as she stood in front of them, her arms crossed her arms in front of her chest, moving her eyes between Percy and Annabeth.</p>
<p>The blonde girl was still resting against the world, as if she couldn’t see the tragedy that was happening. Their friends, behind the red girl, had scared faces on, while gesticulating and suggesting him whatever they thought was the best way to act.</p>
<p>Leo seemed to be imitating someone running away, and he was very close to take that suggestion. He stood still, though. He had to.</p>
<p>“Nothing, Rach, really. We were just talking” he said, scratching his neck, nervous.</p>
<p>“Just talking, sure” she repeated, in a high-pitched voice. “Was it necessary to be standing so close to – to <em>her</em>?” she questioned him. She shifted her position, putting her hands on her hips and bending forward. Now she totally looked like a mother scolding her child.</p>
<p>“He’s all yours, don’t worry” Annabeth said. She had no tone whatsoever, and her eyes were sad. She muttered something under her breath, but Percy couldn’t hear.</p>
<p>“Oh, please! He’s <em>never</em> been mine. Not ever since you are in the picture!” Rachel yelled back, now completely red on the cheeks and angry eyes. Percy could see her hands trembling with fury and annoyance, and he, for once, was scared of his girlfriend. If even she was still his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, probably.</p>
<p>“What?” Annabeth asked, with a blank expression on her face. She was calm, which was more frightening than Rachel’s rage. Percy got used to all of Annabeth’s expression in the past four months, but he had never seen that way. He had no idea what to expect from her, if she would have grown to becoming enraged as Rachel did.</p>
<p>“You act like the smartest person in the room and cannot even see the most obvious … you know what?” she asked. “I don’t care. Figure it out yourself. But I’m done here” she cried out, swinging her arms up.</p>
<p>“No, Rachel, wait!” he heard himself yelling, before even realising what his girlfriend meant. “What does – are you…?” he asked.</p>
<p>“I can’t keep going on with the two of you … doing whatever you’re doing” she answered. She was just tired now. She sighed and puffed and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She opened them and sighed again. “Percy. You’re an amazing guy, but I can’t do it. I can’t keep going on like this. I deserve someone’s full attention and not the bits he can give me when he’s not totally focused on his maybe friend, maybe more” she explained.</p>
<p>“Rachel, there’s nothing between me and Annabeth” he said. He didn’t have the guts to turn to see Annabeth’s reaction. Rachel didn’t seem to believe him. “I want to be with you” he added, hoping that she would believe him.</p>
<p>He hadn’t had the chance to think about what he just said, if he believed it or if he said it just because it was a safe relationship. Rachel and he had known each other for a long time, they have been in a relationship already and he knew how she acted. But, right in that moment, all their friends started shaking their heads. All but Piper. She was too busy looking sad and glaring at something behind Percy’s shoulder.</p>
<p>Percy finally turned. Annabeth was looking at the ground and hugging herself. She seemed totally miserable. She sighed and sobbed and shrugged her shoulders. She looked up just one second, staring in Percy’s eyes. After that, she ran towards Piper, who was waiting for her with open arms. She hugged her friends and, later, walked with her slowly towards the main road, looking for a cab to go home.</p>
<p>Leo and Will looked at each other and then at Percy. They seemed frustrated and angry. It was the kind of fury he has seen only once: in the mirror, the day he realised Gabe was abusive towards his mother and he wanted to kill him for hurting her, breaking her heart and spirit. Will left to follow her friends. Before doing the same, Leo turned to Calypso. Percy now noticed that Calypso was in fact wearing a jacket, but it was an aviator jacket, the one Leo always wore, no matter the weather outside. Instead of giving it back, Calypso smiled at Leo and walked with him. Hazel, Frank and Nico left soon after, leaving Percy and Jason alone with an angry redheaded maybe-ex-girlfriend.</p>
<p>“Good God, Percy… I knew you were dumb, but I never thought you were oblivious. You can be the smartest, most talented person in the room, when you want to, but when it comes to feelings… With your feelings you have no idea what to do. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it” Rachel said.</p>
<p>Percy was confused: “See what?” he asked, not entirely sure what was the right answer.</p>
<p>“<em>Unbelievable</em>” she sighed. She turned to look at Jason, pointing at Percy. “Can you believe it?” she questioned him.</p>
<p>“Give him time” he answered, perfectly understanding what Rachel was implying.</p>
<p>“Don’t talk about me as if I weren’t here!” he exclaimed, incredibly annoyed by their behaviour. “If you have to say something about me, just say it, already!”.</p>
<p>“We cannot tell you. You have to understand it by yourself, but in the mid time … don’t build up people’s expectations and don’t play with their feelings. They could get hurt, permanently” Rachel said, with a low tone. She was almost whispering.</p>
<p>That said, she started walking away. She turned one last time: “When you figure your life out, call me. For the moment, I think it’s better we take a break” she suggested, smiling at him one last time, before disappearing in the maze of streets.</p>
<p>Percy was absolutely incredulous and shocked. He had no idea what just happened. Had he been dumped? Not even a month after they had started dating again? What was that speech of Rachel’s? Who was he hurting? He felt as if he was the only one who had been hurt: Annabeth decided that it was not worth talking to him anymore and Rachel maybe, probably, almost certainly, broke up with him for no reason. And he was the one who was playing with someone’s feelings? Was there something he could not see? Something he wasn’t understanding? He looked at Jason, who had his hands buried in his jeans’ pockets and was glaring uncomfortably at everything but Percy.</p>
<p>“What am I not catching in this story?” Percy asked him, frustrated and annoyed and extremely tired. Never before he felt such a need to sleep after a concert. He would feel energetic and excited for hours and wouldn’t go to sleep before five in the morning. But that night all he wanted to do was to hide himself under his blankets and sleep all through Sunday morning.</p>
<p>“A lot, Percy. A lot” Jason answered. “But I’m not sure you’re ready for this conversation, yet”.</p>
<p>Jason hugged his shoulder with one arm and walked him to his house. They didn’t say a word.</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Rachel never picked up when he called. He tried at least five times a day for a whole week, leaving hundreds of texts and voice messages.</p>
<p><em>Rachel, it’s me, Percy. I don’t understand what has happened. Are we even a couple still? Listen, whatever idea you have made up… everything is not what it seems. No wait, that’s the Wizards of Waverly Place. Sorry, I watch a lot of TV with Estelle. Anyways … call me, please. I don’t want to end things on a bad note. Again. Please. </em><br/>(Saturday, 18<sup>th</sup> of April, 12.32)</p>
<p><em>It’s Percy. Please, pick up the phone? I have called you ten times already and I sent at least seventy texts by now. Just pick up and tell me you’re okay? I really have no idea why you are ignoring me. Also Annabeth. I don’t know what I did for you both suddenly hating on my guts. I just want to talk this out.</em> <br/>(Sunday, 19<sup>th</sup> of April, 10.56)</p>
<p><em>I wrote a song today. I haven’t been this inspired in a long time. It’s the third song I wrote this month, but I don’t know if I’ll ever show them to the others. I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. Funnily enough it’s called “I am dumped”, but it’s way more less self-pitying than it sounds. I reflect upon my life and all the mistakes I have made and I’m unaware of. All because you dumped me. That’s what happened, right?</em><br/>(Monday, 20<sup>th</sup> of April, 21.15)</p>
<p><em>Jason said that, yes, you dumped me, indeed. I figured it that much but knowing it for sure kind of sucks. Estelle said that she can be my girlfriend, if I want to. It was difficult to explain to her that there are a billion reasons why we could never get married. It’s good to know there’s a girl out there who loves me with all her heart and wants to be with me against all odds. I hope you’re okay, Rach. I miss you. I really, truly do.</em><br/>(Tuesday, 21<sup>st</sup> of April, 15.28)</p>
<p><em>This is the fifth voice message I have left. I guess your box will soon be full, so I suggest you listen to what I’m saying and stop ignoring me. I’m very, deeply, truly sorry for whatever pain I have caused you. You have to believe me, when I say that I care about you and I like you. Meeting you again, after all those years apart, has been one of the highlights of this 2020 and I’m glad I got to spend some more time with you. My mum said that she could see how happy I was in the past months. When I told her that I got back with you, she smiled. She figured that there was a girl, she said. She also added that she thought that this girl arrived way before I started dating you again, but I told her that she was wrong. Music has been good to us in the past months, since January. That’s where my happiness comes from. I thought everyone should know it. You included. Actually, especially you. I was with you the whole time, you have to know it.</em> <br/>(Wednesday, 22<sup>nd</sup> of April, 18.27)</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>Saturday morning he ambushed Annabeth. She was closing the bookstore and heading home to have lunch. Usually Saturday was their Friendship Day: they would have lunch together and spend the whole afternoon doing something. Before, Percy would drive to the closest beach and they would spend the day walking and talking and playing around, just like the children they were. It was cold, in winter, but splashing each other with freezing wind blowing around them was the funniest part. He was still very surprised they haven’t gotten any kind of flu. They may have been the luckiest bitches.</p>
<p>But after their phone call, they haven’t talked much. The Saturday before, Percy went to the bookstore, only to find that Annabeth had called in sick and didn’t go to work. It was the day after their argument, when Rachel broke up with him. Annabeth had been ignoring him since the Sunday before that. So, doing a little math, she had been avoiding him for two weeks now. Which was the most they had been without talking or hanging out whatsoever. He had every right to wait for her outside the bookstore and demand some explanations from her.</p>
<p>When Annabeth turned and met his gaze, she completely froze. She was wearing a beautiful afternoon dress, with little owls. She once told him that her mother loved owls (another evidence that her mother was actually Athena and did not just share the goddess’ name, according to Percy). Annabeth owned a lot of stuff with owls drawn upon. Her phone’s cover, a pair of earrings, her favourite pen and some pad notes. Now, he could add that dress to the list. He had always found cute how she tried to stay in touch with her mother. She had a way of remembering her, without losing herself in it. She didn’t choose Architecture because her mother was one, as he was about to do with Marine Biology. She chose it because her mother, genuinely, passed down her passion to her daughter. Annabeth could still find a way to be herself, when integrating her mother to her plans for the future. Because, yes, Annabeth was the type of person who planned her life in advance. Once she even showed him a schematic she made about her future. It didn’t creep him out, he found it very Annabeth and very cute.</p>
<p>“I am in no mood to argue with you, Jackson” Annabeth said, looking at him with a tired expression. She wasn’t even surprised that he showed up at her workplace with no warning.</p>
<p>“I don’t care what you want” he said. It sounded harsh. “Actually, I <em>do</em> care. But, that’s not the point of why I am here” he added. He was talking extremely fast for his standards, not wanting Annabeth to interrupt and shut him up with her wit. “I don’t understand why you have completely shut me out since our talk on your mother’s death anniversary. It was a hard time for you, and I was happy you finally opened up about it. It didn’t care it was with me. I had noticed how it was consuming you. You have panic attacks, I <em>noticed</em> it. When you feel alone, left out, you panic. When you are realising you are <em>enjoying</em> yourself too much, you panic. Your mother wouldn’t mind, you know? She would be happy to know you are happy, you are surrounded by people you love and that love you. You try not to live your mother’s life for her, but add parts of her into yours, but at the same time you let yourself be influenced by her death. It was <em>not</em>your fault. You have spent as much time as you could with her. She had loved you and I am sure she had loved <em>her</em> life. Now it’s time to let go of the idea that you cannot be happy. And it’s about damn time you talk to someone about her. I was glad you opened with me as you did, but it’s not enough. Am I even making sense?” he asked himself, more than Annabeth.</p>
<p>The girl was standing, her mouth opened with surprise and her eyes full of shock and doubt. For the first time, she had no idea how to talk back.</p>
<p>“If you think you let me in too much, that night, I can respect it. I <em>will</em> respect it. Your feelings are valid. But you have no right to ignore me for two weeks because you got scared that someone could finally get to know that part of you. My opinion of you haven’t changed. It … improved. Which – I guess it means it <em>changed</em>, but it doesn’t matter now. I want you to understand that it’s okay to be open with someone, to let them see your dark side, to let them see you cry and mourn and be sad because your mother is not with you anymore. It’s not fucking fair that we could spend such a little time with our own parents, when a stranger who worked with and didn’t care about them even a bit had so much time with them. But letting people know that you’re pissed at the universe for taking one of the most important people for you … it is no reason for shutting people out. Avoiding them and being… I don’t know, enraged. I’m here for you Annabeth. For you and with you. We met three months ago, I know, but I have never felt such a connection with anyone before. I thought … I thought you did too” he was now whispering, completely shuttered. “And it’s not safe for you. It’s toxic. Your behaviour is toxic for you, it’s consuming you. You are letting yourself being killed by your own mind, your own fears, your own ideas. It’s not okay. You need to change it”.</p>
<p>He had just poured his heart out. He made a speech he didn’t intend to do and that he had no idea of it had any sense or not. He just wanted his friend back. His best friend. </p>
<p>“I don’t know why you’re so scared of being open, of letting others in. I know for sure that you haven’t told anyone that your mother has died. We all had to figure it out on our own. But there’s nothing wrong in telling others about your grieving. We all have our share of grief. Thalia and Jason lost their mother when Jason could barely walk, you know my father never even got to know me. Nico … Nico has suffered enough for five lives and Hazel’s mom died when she was ten. I don’t know about your friends, but I’m sure their lives, their home lives, are not as good as we think they are. We all have our skeleton in the closet. Opening up to someone, doesn’t mean appearing weak. And, most of all, doesn’t mean you have the right to ignore them for weeks and make them worry out of their <em>freaking</em> minds” he concluded his speech.</p>
<p>He was out of breath, and he could feel his eyes stinging. He didn’t want to cry, not because he didn’t want to show his vulnerability, but because Annabeth was crying. She was a mess. Her shoulders were shaking, the keys to the bookstore had fallen to the ground halfway through Percy’s speech. Her cheeks were wet, and her mascara was turning her eyes into black holes. She was broken down.</p>
<p>Percy hurried to her and hugged her tightly. He had no idea what to say, as if he had run out of words. He patted her back and hugged her more tightly at every sob she let out. At some point, she was completely pressed against his body, enough that he had no idea where they were touching. They were one and the same. He didn’t want to look around to see what people were thinking of them. He didn’t care. The only thing he cared about was Annabeth and making her feel better.</p>
<p>He didn’t know if he should have apologised about what he had half yelled half whispered to her. He didn’t know if she was crying because of what he told her or because it made her reason. Maybe it hadn’t been as a good idea as he thought it was.</p>
<p>“When my mother died, it was a <em>cold</em> night” she started whispering in his ear.</p>
<p>Shivers went down his spine. He blocked all thoughts and concentred on her words. He gave her a squeeze, inciting her to go on.</p>
<p>“It was cold, and, somehow, I knew something bad would have happened that day” she explained. “It was the only day I <em>didn’t</em> call my mom. I would call her every day, when I wasn’t at the hospital with her. She had a hard time talking by then. Every word was a fatigue, and she would get tired after saying just a few. So I got used to talk on my own. I would rent about everything that was happening to me. That weekend my father had promised me he would have driven all the way to Los Angeles. My grandfather had put her in the hospital there, because it was closer to where he lived. From San Francisco it was a long trip, and we could get there only a few days every other month. That was the only thing I was looking for” she sighed and sniffed. “I <em>knew</em> she was dying. I didn’t want to admit it to myself. But deep down I knew it” she confessed, sobbing.</p>
<p>She paused. Percy squeezed her again and was about to stop her, to tell her that she didn’t need to go on. But he wasn’t quick enough.</p>
<p>“My father had just told me that my mother didn’t want me to go that weekend. I got so pissed, and I yelled and screamed and closed myself in my room. Looking back at it now, I know she didn’t want to see me, because she knew her time had come. And, probably, because she was too tired to deal with me. But I was twelve and all I understood from it was that she didn’t want to spend time with <em>me</em> anymore” she continued. “So, when she called me that day, I ignored the call. I figured I could be pissed one day and apologise the day after.  I never got to. She <em>died</em>. And I never told her I loved her one last time. And I never got to know what she wanted to tell me with that one last call” she was crying again, hard. Percy hardly understood what she was saying. “And for a long time I thought that I <em>killed</em> her. That I <em>broke</em> her heart and she died. Because you <em>can</em> die from a broken heart, Percy. It is <em>my</em> fault.”</p>
<p> Percy was completely speechless. Annabeth was repeating “I killed her” like a mantra.</p>
<p>“Oh, Annabeth” he said, squeezing her shoulders. He was trying to show all his love and appreciation for her in that hug. “You didn’t, <em>sweetheart</em>. You didn’t. It’s gonna be alright. I’m gonna make it be alright. I’m here for you” he said.</p>
<p>It would not even close to be good enough. But he had no idea what to say.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello everyone. This chapter is s-a-d. Seriously I read it again and I got so upset? Like what was I going through when I wrote it? Anyways – I’m pissed at Percy’s last speech? But I kind of agree? It’s kind of hard because it’s something that had happened to me, being lectured as Percy lectured Annabeth, for different reason but with the same intensity. And I hated it, but I know they are right most the time, so it’s kind of a blurry line.</p>
<p>Anyways, I hope you have liked this chapter and if you didn’t feel comfortable with reading some parts, please let me know and I will quickly summarise them for you, so you can go on with the story. </p>
<p>A few songs could describe this chapter and I referred to them indirectly, let me know if you saw those references!</p>
<p>p.s. I changed my twitter! If you want to talk, I'm @valdzmvsa</p>
<p>Also, don’t worry about the song Percy writes for Annabeth, it will come back. Try and guess its title. Hint: it’s not a chapter title, but it’s a quote from Heroes of Olympus!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. FIVE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Annabeth finally comes to her senses and Percy has blue hair.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</p><p>Note: English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>I'm very sorry for the delay. My sweet sweet beta is working so I don't want to pressure her now. This chapter has been corrected by me and my Grammarly, I hope it is okay... The story is complete, so you will have it all, it may just take a little time :(</em>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">Trigger Warning: mention of death and car accidents. Slight mention of trauma.</span>
    </em>
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  <strong>ANNABETH</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>I promise you, I will learn from my mistake</em>
  </strong>
  <strong> – Fix You by Coldplay</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth slept with an uneven and unsafe tower of books on her nightstand. She had read half of those books twice at least and around four times at most but still couldn’t force herself to move the pile elsewhere. Whenever a book became one of the favourites, it would be added to the tower. Now, at nineteen of age, close to twenty, there were nine books there. The latest addition – a book by an author she had never heard of before – was all about Greek Mythology. When she bought it, she <em>swore</em> she wasn’t doing it because of Percy. But because she was genuinely intrigued with the topic and wanted to know more about it, more than what she already knew.</p><p> </p><p>When Percy started dating Rachel, that was the first thing she threw away. Well, not technically speaking. She put it on the shelf, the one farther away from her gaze, so she would not be tempted to read it again and go through the notes she left in it. She has always taken notes in books because she believed that a book that was candid after reading it was a book that has taught you nothing. For it to have value, you must have learned from it, cherished it. Books that have no scribble in them are books that have no <em>history</em>. She had dragged Piper to flea markets more times than the girl had wanted to just so she could buy old books. The best ones where the ones where people had written in it, and she even owned two in which a father and a sister had left notes, touching and emotional, for their loved ones. The father had written on the occasion of his daughter’s wedding, promising to always be the man she could turn to and that, for him, she had always been a princess. On the other hand, the sister was dying. She left a final message to her brother, telling him to stay true to himself, never take life for granted, and always follow his heart, no matter how much others tried to stop him. Whenever she felt numb, she went back to those books (number 3 and number 6 of the tower) and read those notes. They would remind her that even if people are not always vocal about their love, pride and joy to have her in their life, it didn’t mean they didn’t want her. It was just her mind that <em>played</em> with her. And her guilt.</p><p> </p><p>After the book, she put away every ticket of every performance of the <em>Demibloods </em>she had been to. She carefully placed them in a box under her bed, along with a few pictures of her mother that she took out whenever she missed her and needed to cry. It was, then, time for the piece of paper Percy gave her after their burger hangs out, the first time they had lunch together. He had drawn a small flower on a napkin and handed it to her sheepishly when he left her at the underground entrance. They had smiled at each other for a whole minute. He scraped his throat and scratched his neck before saying goodbye and disappearing from her sight. She had stood in the same place for a whole minute, looking at the napkin and not understanding what it meant, before she decided to let it go and go home. She had left it hanging from a cord, along with her polaroid pictures and notes that his father and brothers gave her when she moved on the other coast of the States. She would read them every time she was studying and miss them. The fourth thing to go was the paper he gave her the second night they met. It was the one with his number and his awfully cute handwriting, which looked very child-like but seemed to fit Percy’s personality. She had opened that note more times than she was willing to admit, and the proof was the now consumed paper, extremely fragile.</p><p> </p><p>After Percy gave her that cold shoulder in front of the bookstore, they had gone back to talking. It was very awkward and strange now. They would fight more often than not about the little things. Once, they even argued about who had more right in choosing the movie for a movie-night they all had at Jason and Thalia’s. Nico chose the film, in the end. It was one of <b><em>Will’s</em></b> favourites; Annabeth knew that much. It was also the first time Rachel hadn’t shown at one of their group hangs out. <em>Nobody asked.</em></p><p> </p><p>The second time Rachel was missing, they were all spending the day at Coney Island. It was the first time they went there all together, and it was a fun Saturday. School was becoming impossible to deal with. They were always so busy studying and writing essays that, for a whole month, they were not together at the band’s concerts. Sometimes Annabeth missed it, sometimes Piper, sometimes Nico and Will, sometimes Leo and Calypso. Most of the times, when Leo and Calypso missed it, it was because she had started helping the boy at the garage and they would have lost track of time. Leo told them he was building up the courage to ask her out. Little did he know that she wanted him to, she was eagerly waiting for him, but he was sure she was not into him <em>that</em> way. Everybody noticed their mutual crush and pining but him.</p><p> </p><p>The third time Percy came alone, Leo asked.</p><p> </p><p>It was <em>always</em> Leo. He was incapable of keeping his mouth shut and ever questioned others on things he shouldn’t have. He had no problem in asking awkward things. </p><p> </p><p>“Where’s the missus?” he raised a brow while smoothly wrapping an arm around Calypso’s shoulders. She didn’t protest but actually snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. Annabeth smiled at the sight. Leo had been smiling a lot more with Calypso around, more sincerely. He wasn’t faking it as much anymore. </p><p> </p><p>“She … uhm, couldn’t come” Percy replied. </p><p> </p><p>Jason pulled a confused face but didn’t correct his friend. Annabeth grunted, annoyed with the topic of their conversation. It wasn’t that she hated Rachel, <em>per se</em>. She was sure Rachel was a lovely girl. She just didn’t understand why she became part of their group. It wasn’t as if she had something in common with them. </p><p> </p><p>Rachel didn’t like Greek mythology. Nor Roman. She liked to paint and live in her magical world. She was rich and wasn’t into the band as much as they all were. She was just Percy’s girlfriend. It wasn’t enough to be part of <em>their</em> gang. Even if she was smart and would get along with Will. She always snapped back and was sassy and had a good fashion sense and would spend hours talking about justice and protesting with Piper and Hazel. She had <em>nothing</em> in common with them and never once has she approached Annabeth.</p><p> </p><p>“She hasn’t come for weeks now. Everything okay?” Piper noted. She was sort of a genius when it came to romantic relationships. She was sitting on the floor, in between Jason’s legs, and was resting against his body. They had been dating for around three months by then and still were up in their relationship's honeymoon phase. </p><p> </p><p>Back in high school, neither Piper nor Annabeth were popular. They tended to spend time alone, studying together or going to the beach. Or shopping. Piper loved shopping. And stealing. She stole a bunch of stuff back in the days. Once, when they were fifteen, she <em>convinced</em> (Piper’s words) a BMW seller to give her one. That was what brought her to the Wilderness Summer Camp, where she met Leo. Nonetheless, Piper had way more flirts than Annabeth did, but nobody lasted more than a couple of weeks. That was an improvement. Or, <em>more likely</em>, Jason was special.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Percy said. “She’s just busy with the Academy and her family, you know” he added, agitating his hands in the air. It was not very Percy-like. Unless he was distressed.</p><p> </p><p>She had spent a lot of time analysing Percy’s behaviour. She could probably tell all the little things that made him who he was. The scars on his arms, the sea-green eyes that turned into an ocean-like blue when he was feeling a strong emotion, how his arms stretched, how his veins popped, how he rolled his tongue when he was saying her name. How his voice sounded when he was saying her name. How his eyes – </p><p> </p><p>“Annabeth?” someone asked.</p><p> </p><p>She snapped out of her trance. She had been staring at Percy the whole time. He was gazing back with an interrogative glance. His lips were pursed, which was a pity. He had nice lips.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” she asked at no one in particular. She knew Percy said her name because she had shivers down her spine.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you okay?” Percy questioned again. He was worried about how she was lost in her mind.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, Percy.”</p><p> </p><p>She must have sounded harsher than she meant because he kept going: “Why are you mad at me now? You are the one who was staring!” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m not. I don’t know if you noticed, but the world doesn’t turn around you,” she snapped, crossing her arms. “And I <em>wasn’t</em> staring!” Percy scoffed at her lie.</p><p> </p><p>She had no idea why she was acting like that, especially towards Percy. She just felt exposed and vulnerable. She had been feeling that way ever since the 12th of April. After she had talked with Percy, on the Sunday she revealed how she feels guilty about her mother’s death, she had spoken with her friends. Leo only hugged her, avoiding making stupid Leo-like sarcastic comments, which she was very grateful for. Will hugged her and reminded her that they loved her (Leo enthusiastically agreed) and that she should stop blaming herself. She has no power over life and death, he said. The only thing she was responsible for was making sure that her mother’s last days would have been as good as the summer days they spent together travelling.</p><p> </p><p>“Every day with you was a treasure for her. Remember it. And remember that, by keeping her memory alive, you are making sure she had never really died,” Will added. He had always been good with words and comforting people. Maybe it was his last name.</p><p> </p><p>Piper had been really quiet. She was the only one who already knew about her mother’s death, but Annabeth has never told her about what she felt. Piper had always waited for her to talk first. She was very grateful for that. The girl has always been the one Annabeth relied on. She knew about most of her problems, about the panic attacks, about her thoughts, about how she felt in big crowds, sometimes. Still, they have never talked about it openly. Piper would listen to Annabeth talk and never ask for more, respecting her boundaries. </p><p> </p><p>Piper was also smart and was studying Psychology and was good at reading people – at reading Annabeth. She would probably know what Annabeth was thinking before the girl herself, so it was no brainer when she came to Annabeth’s house, ice cream in one hand and movie when she first started considering <em>it</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth told her how grateful she was for her friendship and understanding as soon as they were alone that night. Will went out with Nico, Leo went to Calypso’s house, and Piper turned down a night out with Jason to be with her. She cried <b><em>a lot</em></b>, but Piper stayed by her side the whole time, comforting her, crying with her. She never left once. They slept in the same bed, embracing each other and enjoying the fell of the last wall that stood between them as Annabeth came clean about <em>everything</em> for the first time in nineteen years.</p><p> </p><p>“I hate knowing you spent the last seven years feeling guilty and hating yourself for something you had no power on. You cried and avoided relationships, too scared to be hurt and to hurt others again. To <em>kill</em> them,” she said. Piper always understood her in a heartbeat. “You never realised how amazing you are. You inspire me every day. To be smart, to fight, to never settle for anything. You are a true icon. And if I am who I am today is also because you have been my friends. I flatter myself in saying that I had influenced your growth as much as you did with mine.” Annabeth nodded because Piper did have an important role in her maturing. “We have always been by each other’s side. We have lifted each other up, we have been each other’s rock for as long as I can remember. I will not turn my back on you. Not today, not ever. Thank you for sharing this last part of your soul with me. I will cherish it. I love you, Annie”.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth didn’t say a word about the nickname. She hugged her friend, she squeezed her in her arms, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world for having someone as great as her by her side. She had read thousands of books where girls hated each other out of spite and envy. She felt great about having a really good girl-friend. </p><p> </p><p>And maybe more to come.</p><p> </p><p>“What if we invite Hazel, Calypso, Thalia and Ra– what if we invite them and have a girl night, tomorrow? Like with music and cookies and pizza and gossip and a good old cheesy rom-com?” Piper suggested.</p><p> </p><p>The thing was: she was okay after revealing her huge secret to everyone, as she had said it to the group a week after her closest friends. There were lots of hugs and lots of kisses, and it was good. She was, really, fine with telling everyone. Their relationship hadn’t changed.</p><p> </p><p>But when it came to Percy, it was a different story. They would bicker like an old married couple for minutes before someone would call them out. Everything he said <b><em>annoyed</em></b> her. Everything he did was just impossible to stand. If she could, she would have hit him in the face at least five times every time they were in the same room. They didn’t go on their Saturday launches anymore and didn’t stay on the phone for hours every night. </p><p> </p><p>And the worst part was: she <em>missed</em> it. She missed it so fucking much. She missed it, and she had to cry herself to sleep at least three nights every week. And having all the reminders of her lost friendship with Percy was too much. She acted upon it: she hid it all, the book, the papers, the tickets, the photos. Hoping it was enough. But it really wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>She missed it. She missed <em>him</em>.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>It was two months into her relinked relationship with Percy, around five months since he and Rachel started officially dating again and six months after they met. They had started having lunch hangs out again, they would talk on the phone a lot and Percy had suggested lots of songs. They were back to being friends as they were before, almost, and she <b><em>realised</em></b> it.</p><p> </p><p>July was hotter than usual. She was back home in California, helping her brothers with their summer assignments, reading books and going to the beach with Piper and Leo. The gang hadn’t seen each other for about a month, and it sucked. Their group chat was always massaging back and forth, which made her miss them more than anything. Jason and Percy were back in Greece for their annual summer camp volunteering; Will was at home in Texas. Nico and Hazel were moving between Los Angeles and New York (according to their father’s schedule). Frank was back in Canada. Calypso travelled for weeks with her family before deciding she wanted to spend the summer with Leo. Seeing them made Annabeth a little gloomy. They were cute. They worked good together. She helped him repairing his car, Festus, which was as old as Frank’s grandma but was the only thing he had left of his parents. On the other side, Leo indulged in her passion for gardening, but he was still unable to see that they were basically dating. Their love was genuine, pure and Annabeth was happy Leo found his match. She just wished that Leo was half as smart as he was with cars when it came to the other girl. </p><p> </p><p>She was walking back home from her favourite park, which usually took half an hour. She was listening to Percy singing <em>Chocolate Chips Cookies In Blue</em><b><em>. </em></b>Every time he hit one note, or his voice became a little raspy, it sent shivers down her spine and emptied her head, leaving space for Percy only. She kicked one rock, another, a third and then saw a tree. It was tall, wide and seeds and flowers were growing on it. Its leaves were pink-ish and it reminded her of Percy’s cheeks whenever he blushed. Closer, there was a fountain, its water spilling and wetting children playing around it, finding some relief from the terrible heat. The joy of the moment reminded her of how she felt whenever the singer was around and made a joke or a pun. She would laugh to the point of tears, and he would stare at her, as he couldn’t believe he made some that happy with just a few words. And that was when it hit her.</p><p> </p><p>Percy’s voice, his jokes and his pink cheek. His sea-green eyes and his soft red lips that she had stared at a lot. She had never cared about it, she had never thought about how much she had looked at Percy. She wanted to remember every single detail of his skin, his face and of his wrinkles beside his eyes whenever he was talking. She had laughed at jokes that weren’t even funny, and she had felt herself being pulled towards him since the first time she had set eyes on him. She had noticed how he scrunched his eyebrows together when he was worried. It was cute. She decided she hated when he was annoyed or frustrated because he would purse his lips together, and it sucked. She also hated when he had sad eyes. He looked like a puppy, and she wanted to cuddle him and never let it go, but she detested thinking he could ever be sad. She just wanted him to be happy and satisfied all his life.</p><p> </p><p>She couldn’t understand how blind she had been. Piper kept telling her that. She had stared at Percy’s abs on his Instagram photos for hours and spent nights texting him about his insane love for every movie about the sea and coming of age teenagers. He told her why National Geographic documentaries about the ocean were the most compelling and interesting and how he missed his dad so much that he could physically feel a void in the chest. She had bought a book just so she could keep their bickering about Greek gods go on. She had kept every piece of paper that he had somehow touched or was involved with. She had started listening to the music he had given her and had put his CDs on repeat at the bookstore. She never left them there, they were too precious to her. But she would always bring them with her wherever she went, so she could listen to them if she had a CD player. She knew their titles by heart. She knew every song, every melody.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Songs Annabeth Must Listen To.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Another Playlist For You.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>My Favourite Songs That You Have To Love.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Be Aware, You’re Going To Cry.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Yet Another Mixtape, Sorry (Not Sorry).</em>
</p><p> </p><p>She knew which songs were Percy’s favourite (he had drawn little stars next to their titles) and she had learned the lyrics just to sing along with Percy, when they were in the car together, to go to Hermes’ Hut or to band practice (because he would always come to pick her up when Piper was already at Jason’s after sleeping with him). She had changed her entire music culture just for one boy with messy black hair and a strange love for blue candies.</p><p> </p><p>She had nicknamed him more times than she could count, and he had laughed every time she came up with a new one, trying to push his brain hard enough to find a name as annoying as hers were. He always failed, ending up complimenting her, somehow.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Seaweed Brain.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Master Of Fish.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Mr Rule Flouter.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Captain Salty Water.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Aqua Man.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Persassy.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Poseidon’s Spawn.</em>
</p><p> </p><p><em>Supreme Lord Of The Bathroom</em>(long story).</p><p> </p><p>Never even once she had thought about it. She had always figured they were friends, but she never acted that way with Leo, or Jason, or even Luke, and he was … he was Luke. Her Luke. </p><p> </p><p>But when Percy was around, she never reasoned, she was spontaneous, and she had always acted as the best version of herself, just a little less rigid. She had always let herself be free of whatever restriction she imposed on herself around everybody else. She was truthful, sad, real. She cried in front of him and told him how much she missed her family. She had bickered with him ever since they started talking. They would call every night without failing (or until Rachel came around). She watched Disney movies with him and babysit Estelle, she had let him talk about how Flounder was the best friend Arial could ask for hours. She learned the songs from High School Musical and Camp Rock (movies she despised and never once watched before, not even with her brothers), so she could sing them with Percy to entertain his sister or do a sing-off in the car. For crying out loud!</p><p> </p><p>When Rachel entered the picture, she started holding grudges. She never sat beside him anymore and always talked to Hazel and Nico, pretending that he was not there. She would get angry whenever he made a joke or tried to make her laugh as he used to do before. She would snap back whenever he made a stupid remark, while burned with anger when Rachel, with his arm on her shoulder, would laugh and kiss his cheeks in front of everyone. She had spent nights telling Piper how annoying it was and complaining that they should have waited to be alone to be couple-y and kiss and do whatever they did. Piper would let her notice that she had never had the same reaction whenever she had kissed Jason in front of her or when they have dinner together, just the three of them. She would be friendly with her best friend’s boyfriend; they would talk and joke around and make fun of Piper. But when it came to Percy, it was an opposite story. She couldn’t stand being alone with him and Rachel. She couldn’t stand the sight of them kissing. She couldn’t stand their inside jokes and their happy smiles.</p><p> </p><p>She had thrown away whatever reminded her of Percy and refused to watch National Geographic or The Little Mermaid or whatever movie had even a single fish in it. She had created a playlist with the most depressing songs Percy had suggested to her and put it on repeat whenever she was studying or cooking. She had stopped liking Percy’s post on Instagram and only followed Rachel when Piper forced her to because blocking her would have been too <em>rude</em>. </p><p> </p><p>She had stayed away from the app from the second she saw the first picture of the two of them, hand in hand, with Percy kissing her cheek, smiling. </p><p> </p><p>Every proof, every single evidence, was right in front of her. She had always bragged about her intelligence. She always assumed she knew the answer to every question, just as her mother did when she was younger. But she failed to see the most obvious things, the ones that everyone was warning her about. She had always thought they were friends, but she didn’t notice that she acted completely differently around friends. And Percy, as much as she did want him to (and it was <em>desperately</em>), wasn’t her friend. He was her shoulder to cry on and the person she turned to after just one talk. They have known each other for six months, he had been dating Rachel for half of the time, and she felt she was missing something as if he was part of her. An annoying part of her, but necessary.</p><p> </p><p>Percy was the first person she always thought of every morning without fail. He was the person she wanted to call when she received a good grade or finally turned in a difficult assignment. He was the person she would ask to go out with when she was bored, or the person she would go through a whole screening of Onward, a Disney movie. </p><p> </p><p>Percy was like the first ray of sunshine of May and the taste of her mother strawberry milkshakes. He made her feel as she did when she was younger and was eager to learn from her father’s historical tales, curious and enchanted. He felt like every afternoon spent with Piper, happy and unafraid. He was like Will’s speeches, full of hope and positivity. He had the same power to make her laugh and reflect with his sarcasm and wit, just as Leo did. Percy was young and spontaneous and fun as her brothers. He was loyal and good, as her stepmother. Percy was smart, caring, determined and wise (in his own way), just like her mother was.</p><p> </p><p>Percy had qualities similar to her favourite people in the world.</p><p> </p><p>She wondered how she could have ever thought she didn’t love him. She did.</p><p> </p><p>And Percy had a <em>girlfriend</em>.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Everyone knew that when Annabeth cooked, something must have happened. It’s not that she hated cooking, or she was terrible at it. She wasn’t as good as Leo, who would gladly take care of all their dinners back in New York, but she could manage to prepare some pasta for dinner and making it taste good. But everyone also knew that when Annabeth cooked, no one was supposed to be around her. She used her time behind the stoves to think and <b><em>overthink</em></b> every decision she had made in her life. </p><p> </p><p>That was how she decided to turn down UCLA’s offer and accept Columbia’s instead. Her mother was one of, if not the main, reason she decided to move to New York, but she had to think about it and be sure that it was the right decision for her. So she cooked dinner for her family and, after almost burning her hand in the process, she decided it was the right thing to do. She would have crossed the same corridors as her mother, would have admired the same monuments (or, actually, better ones), and she would have lived with Piper. She wouldn’t have been alone. She sat at the table with her father, stepmother and brothers, all staring at her nervously, waiting for her to talk. They wanted to know what she had thought of while baking a cake and cooking stew. </p><p> </p><p>The same happened in New York, a month after the semester started. Piper had to drag Leo out of the kitchen while she was trying to follow the recipe to make lasagna and thinking about how she missed home. Had she taken the right decision? The lasagna turned out okay and Piper thanked her for making the vegetarian version. She didn’t ask what she had to think about, but she told them. Both her friends (the new one and the old one) were happy to hear that she was missing home, yes, but she felt as if she had found a new home with the two of them, their strange routines and gossip nights. </p><p> </p><p>Will arrived in California two weeks before they were supposed to go back to New York, one week before Percy and Jason came there. He was new to the Annabeth-cooking-rule. He didn’t know about her necessity of being alone in the room while trying to master a quinoa vegetarian meatball recipe and pasta to make her friends happy, both vegetarian Piper and food lover Leo. When she went to the supermarket, she just let her feet decide the way. She bought what she felt she needed, and she found the recipe. And while she cooked, she thought about Percy.</p><p> </p><p>When people told her that she had a crush on him, she had laughed it off and blushed, but everyone was right. She was totally head over heels for him, and she couldn’t believe she didn’t notice. Even when they met, when she heard him sing for the first time, she caught herself being breathless while listening to his soothing voice and looking at his just as amazing body. She had known him, she had spoken to him after, and she forgot about how attractive she found him, and her brain misled her, not listening to what her heart was trying to tell her. </p><p> </p><p>She always thought she was good at understanding her own feelings. When Luke was around, she never had difficulty in saying that she had a crush on him. She had admitted to herself she was crushing on him, way before she told anyone else. She knew she was looking at Luke differently; she was thinking about him differently. She had always found him attractive, but she realised how distant they were. Not only he was too old for her (seven years gap was a bit too much), but he had always been in a relationship. Starting from Silena, who then got with Beckendorf, and ending up with Kelli. Hideous and annoying Kelli.</p><p> </p><p>With Percy, everything was different, amplified, somehow stronger, more real. She had never felt an emotion so powerful, nor rage, nor love or hate, nothing. It was as if everything had changed, now that she realised what she felt. The world seemed brighter and scarier. Every song felt different, hit different parts of her mind and her body, even the clouds in the sky hit spots of her soul that were never hit before. She was another person and, somehow, she felt more mature, stronger even. And she felt scared, more than she had ever been before, she found herself lost in the world, without a compass to tell which direction is which and help her navigate through her life. </p><p> </p><p>Then she reminded herself. She had already lost Percy. She had lost him when he started going out with Rachel again; she had lost him when he would not sit next to her at the club anymore and when she started refusing his calls, night after night after night.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not the world that changes. It’s you. It’s how you see it, how you live in it. Embrace it, feel it, love it. There’s no better feeling,” her mother told her once. They were talking about how love changed her. “When I first set my eyes on you, you were so small and defenceless, fragile and scared. Everything around me changed. Colours seemed to shine brighter, but, especially, I could feel them touch me more strongly and invade me with positivity. And all because you were in my arms,” she had said.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth thought that what she was saying made no sense. People could not change for other people. She wouldn’t have changed her perspectives for someone else. But she was wrong. </p><p> </p><p>Even more incredibly, she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind hearing rock bands, discussing Greek mythology way too much or eating a blue cookie. All she cared about was that Percy was safe and happy and good. And she had never cared for someone as much as she cared for him.</p><p> </p><p>When she called her friends for dinner, hours after she had closed herself in the kitchen, she could hear them whispering. They were probably wondering what was happening, what she needed to think about and whether or not they should ask her what the hell pushed her to cook. They entered together in the kitchen, all smiling, with inquisitive looks on their faces, which they weren’t hiding as well as they thought they were. They all sat down, taking all the space. Her family was out, so it was just the five of them that night. She served them all a plate.</p><p> </p><p>None of her friends started eating, there was no sound of forks clinking against plates, and she could feel the tension in the air. “You should eat before it turns cold”, she suggested them, and, as if she was commanding them, her friends picked up their forks and started eating.</p><p> </p><p> “Should we address the elephant in the room, then?” Piper asked as she led her fork to her mouth. She was now turned to talk directly to Annabeth. She noticed how Piper was breathlessly beautiful even when eating like a pig. Life is just that unfair.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth sighed. Hoping that the topic wouldn’t be brought up was stupid. It was Piper, Leo and Will (and Calypso), and Annabeth has never known people as much into gossip as them. And, especially, as interested in the topic that was Annabeth’s world. They were incredibly chatty, and they just had to know everything. </p><p> </p><p>It was not just curiosity, for Piper at least. She had an unhealthy obsession with helping people out and supporting them and comfort them, especially when it came to love and friendship and everything that had to do with a feeling. She was always into people’s business because she needed to make sure that everyone was happy. Sadness for her was just an emotion that people weren’t supposed to feel. It wasn’t like Percy, who bottled up his feelings until he could express them with songs and music. She wanted people to express how they felt, realise what they felt and make the best out of it, not just pushing their emotions away until it was too difficult to handle them. It was almost as easy for Piper to choose Psychology as a major as it was for Annabeth to choose Architecture. It was absolutely horrible and dreadful when she started psychoanalyzing them and stating facts about them that were a hundred per cent correct and that they didn’t know about. She hated her, sometimes. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Annabeth said, smiling innocently at her. She knew Piper loathed her bitchy smile and face. She was quick to roll her eyes, as always.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you realise that made you want to cook?” she asked. “I have known you my whole life, seriously. We’ve been friends since I don’t know when. So talk”.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m offended you don’t remember we became friends on the 14th of August, first Latin class of High School, Mr D’s class,” she said, faking hurt. She put one hand on her chest, just across the heart.</p><p> </p><p>“Annabeth!” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, fine. I did realise something,” she admitted, raising her hands defensively. She didn’t say anything more. She stared intensely at her plate to avoid the glaze of her friends. Nobody said a word for a whole, heavy minute. </p><p> </p><p>Annabeth was wondering what would have been the right words. All of them, even Calypso, had guessed her feelings for Percy. But she didn’t. And she got upset and mad at them for teasing and imagining something she just didn’t see. The thing with being honest is: there’s nothing wrong with it, and, actually, she hated lying and liars. She always tried telling the truth, but how to tell the truth when everyone already knew it? Was there a way, a code she was not aware of, that concerned how address something that everyone else knew, even before you did? She didn’t like not knowing.</p><p> </p><p>“Well?” Will asked impatiently. </p><p> </p><p>Annabeth sighed again. She looked up at her friends. Four pairs of eyes were on her. Piper’s everchanging and kaleidoscope ones could literally read your soul and your mind. With his Latino traits, Leo’s dark brown ones, his greasy and dirty cheeks and cheerful smile, as if they were not discussing Annabeth most terrible secret. Will’s blue eyes were curious, as he now realised there was something there, something more serious and scarier than he had anticipated. And, finally, Calypso’s dark almond-shaped ones. When Annabeth first met her, she was into Percy. It was obvious. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of him and even tried to flirt with him. But, as soon as she realised Rachel was his girlfriend, she accepted it. Not very willingly, but she did. And then Leo started flirting with her ­– unsuccessfully at first. Giving her his jacket was the first step, the night they met. And then there were lots of hangs and garage meetings, and everyone could notice the change in her gaze. They had been <em>whatever</em> ever since. And Calypso had been in the group for three months by then, and Annabeth loved her. She was sweet and funny and smart and grounded. She always had something nice to say to everybody, always tried to make others feel good and did her best to make Leo feel enough. As Jason and Calypso did with Piper and Leo, everyone who would love her friends was a friend of hers and someone whose opinions she would value.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth reflected upon what she had understood in the past hours: she was falling in love with Percy Jackson, a stupidly handsome boy in a band, who was so mysterious, and she was totally intrigued with; Percy Jackson had a girlfriend, who was also his first love and, she was just a friend to him; they hadn’t really talked in a month or two or three, and she missed him. She missed his sleepy voice at one in the morning, whispering to her through the phone and revealing to her how much he missed his dad and how he said he couldn’t live without his family. She wanted to cry because she felt so numb.</p><p> </p><p>She wished she never understood it. She wished she never walked through the park and saw the tree and the sky and had the epiphany. She wished everything could turn back to when she didn’t know how she actually felt for the boy and could listen to his music without crying. Knowing that there was no way she could have him sing her those songs, right in her ear, while they were sleeping in her bed, hurt. He would never write a song about her and about he loved her and how special she was to him. Oh, to have Percy half-naked, sleeping in her bed and confessing her love after they …</p><p> </p><p><em>Snap out of it, idiot</em>, she told herself. </p><p> </p><p>“I just realised something,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. She bowed her head down again.</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” Leo said.</p><p> </p><p>“When did you?” Will asked.</p><p> </p><p>“How did you?” Calypso.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it Percy related?” Piper.</p><p> </p><p>All her friends started asking the question all at the same time, as she was still scared to look up and meet their eyes. She knew Piper would have understood her straight away. </p><p> </p><p>“When we first went to that club, and you were drooling over Jason, I – I had noticed someone too,” she started saying. Everyone put down their cutleries. She tilted her head up, noticing they were looking at her. “I didn’t know the band, I didn’t know him. He just – he is handsome, and I sort of got a crush on him. It wasn’t something I would have acted upon. It’s like my usual club crush: he was fine and, if there had been an occasion, I would have slept with him,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>Piper smiled gracefully because – of course – she knew Percy was Annabeth type. Not because of his hair colour or his eyes, but because he stood out in a crowd of people, he was different and interesting and mysterious. Just like Luke was, he was a born leader, a little annoying, and everyone liked him, and he knew it. Percy was just the same: he wasn’t as annoying as Luke but had a friendly smile and a stage presence, and he was just…</p><p> </p><p>“I was so relieved when I realised you were into Jason and not Percy. I literally sighed in relief and thought that at least I wasn’t crushing over the same boy as you were,” she confessed. Someone giggled, probably Will. “But as I said, I didn’t think of acting upon it. When you asked me to help you with Jason, I totally forgot about him and just thought of helping you. Of course, he was still beautiful and still I was crushing, but it was all about getting you the boy you wanted and not getting me a good one-night-stand,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>“You girls are incredible. That’s so sweet!” Will said, his eyes shining. He was basically the human form of the heart-eyed face emoji.</p><p> </p><p>“How is it sweet, Sunny Boy?” Leo asked, incredibly surprised and annoyed.</p><p> </p><p>“You do have an obsession with nicknames about the sun, Leo” Calypso commented, ruffling his hair. The boy smiled and kissed her on the cheek. That was new. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s not the point, guys. Shut it now,” Piper commanded, and they did. Piper had this capacity, this sort of power over people. She would say one thing, and immediately everyone obliged to her will and wish. </p><p> </p><p>“As I was saying,” she started again. “I was attracted by Percy, but that was all. I did check his Instagram because I have eyes. I’m 19, and gorgeous tanned boys, who also play in a band, are my kryptonite, but… yes, it was just physical attraction and the thrill of him being a singer. The second time we met, you, Piper, were off dancing with Jason and you two, guys, were just talking with everyone else and … I had an episode and I…” she told them. She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she felt somewhat grown.</p><p> </p><p>It was as if she could see herself with her friends’ eyes, which were staring at her, lovingly and sweetly. They understood her, supported her and validated her and her opinion. </p><p> </p><p>Annabeth let go of all her fears at that moment.</p><p> </p><p>Will suggested her books because he loved talking with her about them. He told her to read about Henry and Alex and then discussed it with her, they fan-casted actors for the movie and cried, re-reading some passages together. They would talk about tv-series and movies, and he would listen to her explaining why that scenography was totally wrong and why the producers totally murdered the architecture in a scene. </p><p> </p><p>Leo and Annabeth spent hours discussing engineering and architecture and famous thinkers and inventors. They tried to build some of Da Vinci’s machines but failed and laughed about it for hours. In the mid-time, they would complain about how much they had to study for exams and imitated some professors. He would cook for them, and they would eat while telling each other about their childhood, their difficulty with dyslexia and ADHD and their families. Leo was probably the one she had more in common with.</p><p> </p><p>Calypso was a new addition, but she was good. She always listened to what Annabeth had to say and tried to give her advice. She was right most of the times. She had an incredible style and was fun to gossip with. She always had the strangest stories about ex-boyfriends and girlfriends and, well, <b><em>Leo</em></b>, during their girl nights. One would have thought she had lived for a millennium, given all her flings.</p><p> </p><p>Piper. <b><em>Oh, Piper</em></b> was the best friend anyone could ask for. She would listen to Annabeth talk on and on for hours and wouldn’t say a word to stop her. She would hear her complain and suggest some solution to her problems, help her figure out her life, her fears, her struggles. She had always been by her side, no matter how much she had worked or how much she had to study: when Annabeth called, Piper came with ice cream, hugs and comfort. Annabeth was the voice of wisdom in their duo. Still, she felt that Piper knew and understood more about the world and how everything works. She just would stop and appreciate it and think about it. Annabeth was always in such a rush that she never reflected upon her own feelings, and she bottled everything up without actually meaning it. Therefore, when she would finally explode, Piper would be there. And she always knew the right thing to say because she never once bottled her feelings up but let them lead her. Annabeth would totally, absolutely, a hundred per cent be lost without Piper.</p><p> </p><p>“So many epiphanies today” she mumbled to herself, incredulous. </p><p> </p><p>She smiled at her friends. “I am falling for him. <em>Yes</em>, you warned me, but I only saw it today. And <b><em>no</em></b>, I will not act on it. I don’t want to ruin the last bit of friendship that’s left between us. I have ruined it all already. I don’t want it to turn into an awkward, embarrassing and frustrating acquittance,” she said, too fast for her friends to be able to interrupt her. She just knew that if they had a fraction of a second to intervene and comment, they would take it. </p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s stupid,” Calypso said. </p><p> </p><p>Annabeth turned to her, shocked. The girl would always be honest, even if it meant hurting someone’s feelings. She would not be harsh and mean; she would sugar coat her opinion if she needed to. But she was always honest.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” she asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s stupid. Not telling someone you love that you love them,” she commented.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth wanted to point out that she hadn't really said anything to Leo about their love but stayed silent. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Amen</em>, Calypso” Piper agreed. “What are you scared of?” she asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know” she replied. She knew, though.</p><p> </p><p>“Annabeth” Piper’s voice was authoritative.</p><p> </p><p>“Rejection? Losing him? I told you. I don’t wanna ruin it. That’s it,” she said. “Besides, he has a girlfriend. I’m not gonna get in between them,” she added.</p><p> </p><p>For a second, everyone went silent. Then they started laughing. Will fell off of his chair.</p><p> </p><p>“What – what’s happening?” Annabeth asked, confused. Did she say something wrong?</p><p> </p><p>Piper looked at her, noticing her real confusion. “Wait. You’re serious?” she asked.</p><p>Everyone stopped. It was silent again. “Yes?” she replied, uncertain.</p><p> </p><p>“Annabeth, Percy and Rachel broke up that weekend in April when we brought you home, and you were shattered and in tears” Piper explained, with a serious tone. “He told us after a month, but… you didn’t know?”</p><p> </p><p>Percy and Rachel broke up. Percy. And Rachel. <em>No longer together</em>. He was single. He had been single for months, and she didn’t know it. He didn’t tell her. He <em>lied</em> to her. </p><p> </p><p>Percy. Was. Single.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“What?!”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Percy, Jason and Thalia arrived on the 23rd of July; Nico, Hazel and Frank a few days after. By the week of the 27th, they were all together again. It was hard finding everyone a place to sleep for a week, but they managed. Percy and Nico slept in Annabeth’s guest room. The others had a room in Piper’s huge mansion waiting for them. It would take them at least half an hour to get to Piper’s house, from Annabeth’s, but it was their preferred hang out spot, as Tristan McLean was never home. </p><p> </p><p>Piper’s dad was one of the most famous actors of the time, but Piper always hated being known for being his daughter. She tried to avoid the subject and only told Jason after a month of dating. The boy almost had a heart attack, thinking he had to make a good impression on an actual movie star, and not only his girlfriend’s father. Everything went great, and Tristan adored him. Both Annabeth and Piper anticipated it.</p><p> </p><p>The real problem was Fredrick Chase.</p><p> </p><p>Percy dyed his hair <b><em>blue</em></b>. It suited him a lot. Annabeth almost had a breakdown in the living room, just looking at him and his hair. His eyes, somehow, popped out better. He had a flannel shirt on, with blue and white stripes, and jeans. And his guitar. Annabeth thought she had never seen someone as gorgeous as Percy. </p><p> </p><p>“Blue hair, huh?” Fredrick asked. He was the one who got to the door first and opened it for the first of their two guests for the week. </p><p> </p><p> “Hello, sir,” Percy said. “I’m Percy. It’s nice to meet you”, he introduced himself. </p><p> </p><p>“So, <b><em>you</em></b> are Percy” her father replied. He stared at him for a whole minute. “Annabeth talked a lot about you,” he told him.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth wanted to disappear. She wished the ground would open and swallowed her in the depths of Tartarus. Everything was better than her father telling the guy she was in love with that she spent a lot of time talking about him.</p><p> </p><p>Percy turned red and started bubbling. </p><p> </p><p>“You know what, dad? Go to your study. I can help him from here,” she said, stepping forward into the boy’s perspective. </p><p> </p><p>Percy’s smile grew wider, and he let go of his bag and his guitar case. He ran across the living room, right towards her. Before she could even realise it, she was in the air, and Percy was spinning her in a circle. She hugged him back and laughed. </p><p> </p><p>She had never felt happier.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I guess you have it from here”, her father mumbled, but they were too far up in their own bubble to even notice him leaving. Or they would have been if he hadn’t started shouting from the stairs. “Annabeth, remember you promised to paint your brothers’ walls! Everything is already set, you just have to paint”.</p><p> </p><p>Percy put her down. “You need help for that?” he asked, still smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, I’m so sorry. If you want to go to Piper’s, I’ll get there as soon as possible,” she said, putting her hair in a ponytail. “I promised the boys, and I have to honour it, even if it takes all afternoon”, she explained, sighing. She was looking forward to spending the afternoon with her friends. She missed them deeply.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s no problem. It’s gonna be fun. Also, I’d rather spend time with you…” he responded. Annabeth’s cheeks went red immediately. “… than hear Jason complain about our latest song. Especially since I wrote the song. Can you believe him? I wrote –”</p><p> </p><p>Her smile disappeared immediately. Percy didn’t want to spend time <em>with her</em>. He just didn’t want to spend time with Jason. Probably for the same reason he didn’t tell her about his break-up with Rachel: he didn’t consider her important anymore.</p><p> </p><p>“Percy” she interrupted him. He looked at her, waiting. “You should go to them seriously. You don’t have to make up an excuse, so I don’t feel sad and left out,” she explained. She just hoped he would take her advice because she just wanted to cry and didn’t want him to see. </p><p> </p><p>“An excuse? What – Annabeth? Are you serious, right now?” he asked. “I missed you. I want to spend time with you. If I would ever feel like I don’t want to spend time with you, I would tell you,” he said, coming closer to her. She could smell his cologne. </p><p> </p><p>He <em>missed</em> her. He wanted to spend time with her.</p><p> </p><p>“I miss –” she was saying. She looked up, mid-sentence and stared into his eyes. His hopeful eyes.</p><p> </p><p>And she remembered. He broke up with Rachel in April.</p><p> </p><p>“You broke up with Rachel” she ended up saying. </p><p> </p><p>She didn’t want to say it. She had studied how to say it, what to say. She had thought that they would walk back home in the middle of the night, and she would tell him. In a calm and rational way. She wasn’t neither calm nor rational, though. She wanted answers.</p><p> </p><p>“How – I mean… how –” Percy was doubtful. She could clearly see that he wondered what the best thing to say was, to come out clean of the mess he got himself into.</p><p> </p><p>“How did I find out?” she asked, ironically. “Clearly, not from you” she added. She had put her hands on her hips and was standing a little bent over. </p><p> </p><p>Percy decided that the smartest thing to say was nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Piper told me” Annabeth continued. “Three months, Percy. Three months!” she added. Her voice had raised. “You had the guts to lie about your relationship for months. And to me only! Why?” she was shouting now. She basically yelled the final ‘why’.</p><p> </p><p>Percy kept his silence. He was also avoiding her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“What did I do to you? Huh? You tell me, and you tell me now. Have I not been a good friend? Have I done something that hurt you in the last three months? Why am I the only one you’re lying to? I thought we overcame our little argument,” she said. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest now. “I guess we have acted a bit like cat and dog for the past months, but it’s who we are. We bicker, but we care about each other. And when I care about someone, usually, I won't lie to them!”</p><p> </p><p>Although she was lying. Not properly lying. She was omitting one important, vital information. But it wasn’t like she had told him for months that she was seeing someone when they actually broke up. Because that’s what he did. He told her he and Rachel were still together when they actually weren’t. For no reason whatsoever.</p><p> </p><p>Percy’s blue hair was messier than usual. He kept running a hand through his hair. Blue hair. Only Percy could decide to dye his hair blue. He was obsessed with that colour. And she knew it. And as the lovesick girl she was, she baked him a tray of blue cookies, just as he liked them.</p><p>He sighed. “I don’t know,” he said, almost whispering. “At first, it was strange telling you that, the same night we fought, Rachel broke up with me. I still have no idea why. She told me something about feelings and stuff I didn’t see. I still have no clue of it,” he explained.</p><p> </p><p>Stuff he didn’t see. Stuff Rachel saw. Annabeth’s brain was working non-stop.</p><p> </p><p>“Then we fought again, and you told me about your mother” he kept going. “And at that moment, I had no idea how to act around you. When I went home, I realised there were many things I could have told you. And I felt so stupid and dumb. And I got scared of talking to you again or even addressing those days. So I just avoided the topic. Then we started acting like … cat and dog, you said?” he looked up to her. His eyes were so sincere, her heart ached. “It was just strange and awkward. And after a while, when everything got better… I was just afraid and scared. Mostly of your reaction. I did lie to you. I did say I was still seeing her. It was just better than remembering our fight, I guess. I don’t know, I just –” he sighed and looked down again. He was playing with his own fingers.</p><p> </p><p>“What did you want to tell me about my mother?” she asked. </p><p>Percy looked up and half-grinned. He knew everything was forgiven. “When you told me you felt like you killed your mother, I stayed quiet. You believed you were the only one who felt that way. You weren’t – you aren’t,” he started explaining. “Maybe we should sit down”.</p><p>They did. They sat on the couch, facing each other. Percy had sighed and tried to talk many times but couldn’t. He just kept opening his mouth and closing it again. He was shaking, and she could read fear and sadness and guilt in his eyes. They were blue now.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t –”</p><p> </p><p>“I want to,” he said. “Just give me a minute.”</p><p> </p><p>She did.</p><p> </p><p>“Bianca and I were at this camp one summer. We were twelve, maybe? It was almost ten years ago. She heard from this guy about a place in the nearby city where she could buy this card play figurine. She went nuts because that was the only one Nico didn’t have. And she convinced me to accompany her to buy it in the morning,” he started. His eyes became watering immediately. “If I only had been more cautious. If only had kept the promise I made…” he was whispering. </p><p> </p><p>Percy was fully crying now.</p><p> </p><p>“Percy,” she said. “Percy… I’m –” she hugged him. She made sure to be embracing his body, and he rested his head on her shoulder. She passed a hand through his hair, trying to calm him down. She had wanted to caress his hair for the longest of time, to feel their softness and smell. She just never imagined she would do it to reassure him. </p><p> </p><p>She had a billion questions, but she didn’t feel like it was okay to ask them. She waited for him to tell his story to go at his own pace.</p><p> </p><p>“I had promised I would keep her safe. But I didn’t. And she died. It was no one’s fault, actually. She was walking too far into the road, and there was a curve in front of us. The driver couldn’t see her from where he was coming from. He sure did not expect to see her anyways. It was just a few meters to the camp. But fate works in a funny way, I guess” he smiled, sadly and tiredly. “I had felt guilty all my life. I only realised I wasn’t when you told me your story. I started to make peace with it sometime before it. I even discussed it with Nico… but I truly realised it wasn’t my fault when we spoke. When you shared your grief with me,” he cried. His hand came forward and took hers.</p><p> </p><p>“Percy”, she called. “Who – uhm… who was Bianca?” she asked.</p><p> </p><p>He smiled. “You remember when you told me your favourite song was The Hunter?” he asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It… it wasn’t. I loved it. I felt the pain behind it. But my favourite song is <em>Chocolate Chip Cookies in Blue</em>,” she answered.</p><p> </p><p>Percy chuckled. Annabeth had never heard something as beautiful as Percy’s laugh. Especially when it was only for her. Especially when it was<em>because of</em> her.</p><p> </p><p>“Same thing,” he said, agitating his hand. “The Hunter is about her. It’s about Bianca. My Bianca, our Bianca,” he continued. “Bianca was Nico’s sister. She was my cousin. And she was a terrific archer,” he added, smiling at the memory of her. “I guess you could relate to the song because when I wrote it, I was … I was trying to let go of that guilt, of that feeling of being responsible for her death. And I know how much it hurts to feel like this like you do.”</p><p>
  <b>
    
  </b>
</p><p><em>Oh</em>, she thought. She didn’t know Nico had lost a sister. Percy had lost a cousin.</p><p> </p><p>“It wasn’t your fault,” she said. She didn’t feel like saying anything more.</p><p> </p><p>“I know” he replied. “After ten years, I finally <em>know</em> it,” he smiled, still crying, silently. “At her funeral, Nico had been harsh with me, like super harsh. It took him years to finally trust me again, and he only did it when Hazel came along. It was two and a half years after Bianca’s death. Hazel’ mother had died, and she was given in the cares of her father. And, somehow, she healed both him and Nico. She is incredible,” he explained. “When you told me about your mother… you opened to me, and I wasn’t strong enough to open myself too. I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth noticed how his family history was more complicated than she had anticipated. She smiled. Only Percy could sit there and apologise for not telling her about such a deep and important feeling, such fear and guilt he carried for <em>ten</em> years. </p><p> </p><p>She thought of a song Percy told her about<b><em>. </em></b><em>Fix You </em>by<em> Coldplay</em>. There was no other way she could describe how she was feeling at that moment. She wanted to make it better for Percy. She wanted him to know it wasn’t his fault. She wanted him to feel loved, heard, understood and appreciated. She wanted to feel just as he felt: she wanted to finally understand it wasn’t her fault, as it wasn’t Percy’s. </p><p> </p><p>“Why the part about the stars?” she asked, referring to the lyrics of the song.</p><p> </p><p>“She loved astronomy. She knew everything about it. She taught me how to read the night sky. Actually, half the lyrics are her quotes. Mostly about her relationship with Nico. They really loved each other, and, in many ways, Bianca has raised him as a mother. It was hard for him to find his way into the world without her. Sometimes I’m scared he’s still <b><em>lost</em></b>. He’s got … something going on. A secret he doesn’t want to share,” he said.</p><p> </p><p>His voice was full of love, passion and warmth. He loved his family in a way she had never loved hers. And the whole point was: she loved her family. The hardest thing she had ever done was walking away from them to follow her dreams. But she walked away because it was the right thing to do. Her ambition could not shine in California.</p><p> </p><p>On the other hand, Percy would have likely pushed his whole life back, his dreams, only to be with his family, to make others happy, to make sure they were safe and okay. She had no idea if it was good quality or a bad one. Her mother used to tell her that the worst flaws were those that are good in moderation. She could understand it now.</p><p> </p><p>Percy’s loyalty to his family and friends could be considered good. But it would cease to be so if he annulled himself for it. </p><p> </p><p>“You still want to help?” she asked. “With painting my brothers’ walls”.</p><p> </p><p>He smiled and got up. “Of course”. He picked up his guitar case, and a paper fell down. </p><p> </p><p>“What is it? A new song?” she asked, full of curiosity.</p><p> </p><p>“Curiosity killed the cat,” he said. “But, yes, it is. And no, you may not read it. Yet” he added.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine,” she said shrugging. Not that she cared, anyways. (<em>Bullshit</em>). “Upstairs, third door on the right. I’m coming right after you,” she said, walking to the kitchen to take some cookies with her.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yes, you’re coming. We are staying together. You’re <em>not</em> getting away from me,” he yelled back from upstairs. “Never again!”.</p><p> </p><p>Annabeth hoped it was a promise. </p><p> </p><p>That day turned out to be one of the best days of that summer.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes, I know Zoë is the Hunter. Yes, I know the lyrics from the song (chapter 1) were her quotes, but for the sake of the story, I adapted everything to Bianca. Also, my little angel Zoë is alive in this story and may have a cameo later on.</p><p>So, Annabeth finally realised? Obviously you know what song Percy is writing. Moreover, I may write a little, but I’m no song writer.</p><p>I don't know how I feel about Annabeth's trauma: it works differently for all of us. When I write I tend to not plan everything in advance, just the general concept and then let my fingers do the work (this sounds so dirty...). So I wrote about Annabeth's trauma a bit unconsciously. I feel it respects her character, but maybe it is a bit too much? I don't know. </p><p>Hope you liked the chapter! Fun fact: I never wrote in books before writing and reading again this chapter. I guess Annabeth taught me something, even if she’s my version of Annabeth.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. SIX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Frank writes a song, twister is a twisted game (couldn't resist, sorry!) and Leo is finally happy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the titles and songs mentioned in the story. Full credits go to Rick Riordan and the authors and singers. Any resemblance to real life is strictly casual I do not know a lot about American school and University system, I had researched it a bit for the fanfic, but not in depth: if you read something that is not correct about it, please let me know!</p>
<p>Note: English is not my first language, and this is just a story that I randomly start writing in English because I just felt like it. Please do comment in case you see any error. I do like some criticism and feedback.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>
      <span class="u">SIX</span>
    </em>
  </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I corrected this chapter myself again, with some help from Grammarly… hope it works!</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>FRANK</strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>If there’s somebody calling me on, she’s the one</em>
  </strong>
  <strong> – She’s The One by Robbie Williams</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hazel was a heavy sleeper. She could sleep everywhere and at any time. She fell asleep during their first date. Leo made fun of him when they had a boys night some days after it. Frank, on the other hand, found it extremely cute. He should have considered that not everyone could be into a Marvel theatre marathon that lasted almost five hours. Their first date shouldn't have been a showing of both Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame. That was why he woke her up an hour into Infinity War, and they had a good time walking around Central Park and eating hot dogs and fries. She kissed him when he walked her home, and Nico threatened him as soon as she stepped inside. After that, they pretty much saw each other every day for months. He would pick her up from school, and they would walk and talk. They would study together. She would pretend to be interested in whatever he was studying (she was only really interested when he was saying something about horses). </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Their second date was better: they had a picnic in the park, and Hazel drew a beautiful portrait of Frank that he had framed and hung in his room. They had fun and kissed again, out in the open, as they were eating the last piece of the pie that Hazel had baked for them. They had many dates after that, until, when Hazel left to spend her holidays with her father, Frank found the guts to ask her to be his girlfriend. She said “yes”, flying in his arms in the middle of the airport. Nico shook his head while Will was next to him, smiling fondly at them and at Nico, at them again and Nico again. Frank didn’t really know their relationship's nature, nobody knew, but he could guess enough. He even asked Hazel, but she avoided every question about her brother’s personal life and sexuality. He let go of it, respecting their privacy. He even pretended that he hadn’t seen Will kissing Nico’s cheek goodbye when they left the two siblings at the check-in. Nico blushing all the way to the metal detectors and smiling and being the happiest Frank had ever seen him since they met. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It sucked to have his first real girlfriend so far away from him and, especially, having to hear how his grandma thought he was making her up. Apparently, she couldn’t believe that someone was actually into the Chinese Canadian baby man he was. He was sure that she was only tough on him because she wanted him to be a better version of himself. Still, sometimes he wished his grandma would just say that she was proud of him and the man he had become. He hoped he made his mother proud. And his father, wherever he was in Afghanistan. </p>
<p>You’d think that the son of two soldiers would be as good as them and as brave and strong as them. But, actually, Frank was neither of those things. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was what he thought until Hazel came along. He discovered a potential he never saw in himself before. Hazel not only loved him, but she made sure that he loved himself and appreciated himself. He got the internship in a veterinarian clinic because Hazel made him believe he could and made him confident and strong. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stared as Hazel was sleeping. The room Piper gave them overlooked the garden, and the sun was raising without anything blocking it. Hazel’s dark skin was touched so gently, he wanted to cry because she was too beautiful to be real. Her curly cinnamon brown hair was spread on the pillow and his shoulder. She was turned to him, and her mouth was open as she was gently snoring. There hadn’t ever been such a beautiful sound. He felt blessed to see Hazel sleeping every day for a whole week before going back to New York.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Remember that Nico has to think that we are sleeping in two different rooms,” Hazel murmured, opening just one eye and grinning. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank felt himself turning red as he realised that Hazel had caught him staring at her like an idiot. She looked beautiful, with her sleepy eyes and a crooked smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You told me hundreds of times!” he whispered back as he smiled back at her. “We should get up soon. We have to prepare for tonight’s party,” he said, as he checked the alarm clock and noticed it was already ten in the morning. He had never overslept in his whole life, but with Hazel, he always woke up late. They usually stayed up until let every night, talking and playing and not doing anything that was even remotely more intimate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank was okay with it because he wanted to respect Hazel timing and wishes. Still, sometimes he thought Hazel was purposely sexy and touchy to tease him. They never had the talk, and he didn't want to ask her directly. Frank didn't want to make her feel forced. He was waiting for her if she wanted to. He would always wait for her. Moreover, he had no idea how to talk to girls about sex in general. He only had it once, and it was pretty messy and awkward, and he had never seen her again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He needed to talk to the boys as soon as possible.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hazel moved closer to him and slung her leg across his.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We still have a few minutes before we have to go downstairs,” she said sheepishly. </p>
<p>The strange thing was: Hazel always blushed and tried to change the subject when everyone started talking about anything that concerned physical activities. Whenever Annabeth and Piper started discussing bras, she would run away as fast as possible or start a new conversation about the new school mascot or a science project she had to finish. Jason, Percy and Leo were also very vocal about their sex lives. Their favourite hobby was finding a dirty innuendo in everything someone said. Needless to say that Hazel would start screaming at them and reminding them that there was a time and place for them to talk dirty and that whenever they were hanging out together wasn’t it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But at home, in her room, alone with Frank, she would transform. She would be touchy and clingy and absolutely dirty. There was no way Frank could resist her and not do anything, but she had never given him explicit consent. As her grandmother always told him, “Fai, consent is everything”. He had considered Hazel’s attachment to him as a way for her to give him consent, but he wanted her to be vocal, to really say that she wanted him to touch her and not just touch him. He respected her too much for not waiting for her to ask him, to be vocal about her needs. He just wanted to be closer to her. He didn’t care about sex – no, okay, he did, but it was not just sex. Sex is important in a relationship, it’s healthy and normal. But it’s not all a relationship is built upon. Jason knew about it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hazel. Hazel, wait,” he said, moving her away from his body. He sighed and seated with his back against the wall. The girl immediately imitated him but turned to look at him. She was preoccupied. “We need to talk.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her mouth opened and formed a perfect O. “Are we – are you –?” she stuttered, her eyes filled with fear. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank was quick to realise what Hazel was thinking. “No! Oh my god, no! How could you think that!” he hurried to say. Well, scream. If everyone else wasn’t awake, they would have been now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s a breakup phrase!” she replied matter-of-factly. </p>
<p>“I could never – I will never break up with you,” he promised, turning to her and taking her hands in his. “Don’t ever… even for one minute… think that I could break up with you. I’m a hundred per cent sure that, in case, you would break up with me, because you will be tired to be–”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I will never break up with you, either,” she said, kissing him on the lips.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank smiled and kissed her back happily. He still couldn’t believe he could kiss her, hold her and be around her. He had dreamed about having someone like Hazel by his side, but he would have never bet on it becoming his reality. He was almost sure that he would end up marrying that girl, given she wanted to, and that was the thing that scared him the most but also reassured him. He felt so sure about Hazel that he could see their future together. But what if Hazel didn’t feel the same? They had been together for just a few months, not years. Was he too much of a sappy romantic, or they were actually made for each other? Were they soulmates?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I wrote a song,” he started. Hazel looked up at him, happy. “Actually, I’ve written a lot of songs these past years. But I’ve written one now that is particularly close to my heart,” he explained. </p>
<p>“I’m not surprised by it,” Hazel commented. She put a hand on his shoulder. They were so close. “You are in a band, Frank. You ought to write songs,” she added, laughing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When she laughed, she crinkled her eyes, and her cheeks would darken a bit. She was the most beautiful girl Frank had ever seen. </p>
<p>He smiled, embarrassed. “Yes, of course. But what I meant is… Here it goes –I wrote a song for you. About you. You inspired me,” he sucked his breath, saying those words.</p>
<p>Hazel moved, bending her back forward. She rested her hand on his shoulder and started trembling. No, not trembling, laughing. She was totally laughing at him. Frank felt himself going red, and he regretted admitting that song was even about her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sing it for me,” Hazel said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She looked up. Her eyes were shining, her cheeks red, and her lips were shaking. </p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sing it for me, Frank,” she whispered. She was about to cry. It was obvious now. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t have my piano,” he whispered back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t care. Sing it.” Her cheeks were wet now. “I love you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank couldn’t believe it. Someone as incredible as Hazel just told him that she loved him. Loved. He had never believed he was worthy of such a feeling. He had never once in his life hoped to find something as incredible and fantastic as the love he heard in songs. He never pictured himself as the guy who wrote love songs about his high school girlfriend, who had incredible and shiny curly cinnamon hair and golden eyes. He was the luckiest guy to ever exist. And he got to be loved by Hazel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I love you too,” he said, now crying too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know, you big softie bear.” She smiled. “Now sing me my song. Please,” she begged.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He smiled back. “Okay. It's called <em>Chinese Handcuffs</em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Piper’s living room was packed with people and gifts. They had missed three birthdays during the holidays. Most people in the group were born in the summer. Since everyone travelled somewhere else in July, they could only celebrate Piper, Will and Frank’s birthdays before parting for a month. Annabeth, Jason, Leo all had birthdays in July, and they had missed them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank remembered his birthday fondly. Everyone was trying to make him feel special. Hazel got him a bow and arrows. They all went to a Chinese restaurant and then spent the day at the beach, playing and laughing and even had a bonfire and ate marshmallows. As always completely nuts, Percy decided it was a good idea going skinny dipping at one in the morning. Annabeth and Piper had laughed so much that they spilt all their drinks everywhere, and the fire grew uncontrollably. It was both the craziest and most amazing birthday Frank had ever had.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For Will’s birthday, on the summer solstice (which was way too accurate for someone like Will, all sunny and sweet and warm), they went to the beach again and to a funfair near Long Beach. Nico had shown up with a cake in his hands, a sheepish smile and red cheeks and had given Will a card as a present. Will, apparently, loved it and hugged Nico for five minutes. All the cousins, but Hazel, seemed surprised by their warmth with each other and by the fact that Nico did not push Will away as he would with everyone, even Jason, his best friend. It was mesmerising to see Nico be so… open with someone who wasn’t Hazel. Obviously, he hadn’t liked people’s questions about his friendship with Will. He had punched Percy in the face so strongly than the poor guy feel. Jason seemed to be the only other person, other Hazel, not to be surprised by Nico and Will's affection for each other. Or maybe the others were just waiting on them to take their own time and feel secure.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That day, as July was coming to an end along with their summer vacations, everything seemed so homey. They either half lied on the hard floor of Piper’s mansion and half seated on every couch and armchair there was in the living room. Iced tea and nachos and blue cookies were going around. The room was filled with a lot of laughter. No one was in the mood to go out, it was way too hot to think about leaving the AC, so they opted for a fun day in. They had started with a round of Never Have I Ever, but it wasn’t as fun without proper alcohol. They could not get drunk with iced tea, nor they could do it in the middle of the day. So they opted for playing twister. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was hard. Ten of them and all those colours. They decided to do a boys-against-girls game, with Will being the referee and spinner, so they would be even. Five against five, whoever stayed up the more without falling would have chosen the next activity. The point was: Percy and Jason were terrible. They would fight about being more flexible rather than concentrating on staying up and trying not to fall. They ended up losing to two full minutes. They hadn’t lasted even one minute and a half, which was, in all honesty, embarrassing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annabeth and Piper had bet on it, apparently, because Piper had screamed, “In your face, Annie,” as soon as Jason’s butt touched the floor. Annabeth had grunted loudly. She had complied with Percy about his poor performance. </p>
<p>“Since you boys lost, it is our turn to choose the next game,” Piper said happily. Frank didn’t like her happiness; it creeped him out. She had something on her mind “And since, Annie–”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annabeth was quick to sigh and murmur, “Please don’t call me that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“… Had lost as well, I am gonna choose the next game,” she said with a grin on her face. Everyone grunted or sighed. Piper didn’t look bothered by it. “Everyone sits down in a circle,” she instructed, falling to the ground. “We are playing Truth or Dare, Piper McLean style,” she said, rubbing her hands with an evil expression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She was looking directly at Annabeth. Oh boy, Frank thought, this is not going end well, is it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Everyone knew Annabeth and Percy were over the heels for each other, which was the thing that surprised them the most when Percy decided to start dating Rachel. Everyone just assumed he would have realised he was in love with Annabeth, but he didn’t. Maybe not in love, per se, as it was way too soon, but they were definitely close, and they just worked together. Frank didn’t understand love as Piper did. Piper was a witch when it came to love: she would understand everyone’s feelings and attractions before them. She knew about Frank and Hazel, Calypso and Leo, about Thalia's sexuality. She knew about Percy and Annabeth for sure, maybe even Nico. She once had called Frank to the side. They had just finished one rehearsal. It was a rainy Friday, and Frank remembered being cold, despite it was late April. She had taken him by surprise, coming to his side so silently, he didn’t hear her until she had spoken.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hazel, huh?” she had said, with an eyebrow raised. Frank had always supposed that it was impossible to raise only one eyebrow before that moment. He had looked at her so absently that she repeated herself. “Am I right? Usually, I am right. Hazel?” she had asked, suddenly to so secure of her own abilities.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hadn’t really thought about how he felt about Hazel before Piper confronted him. He had guessed he was attracted to her, and he would have liked to be closer to her. But he hadn’t thought about it too much. He was focused on the band, and how they worked together, he was writing a song and was about to propose to the band a slight change on the music to one of their songs, one they had written before Frank was even in the picture. He wasn’t sure he had the right to change anything about the music that came before him, but he had thought about a new arrangement for the second that he guessed would have been an amazing life. Moreover, he had almost completed the first year of university and still hadn’t chosen a place for his internship the next school year, and time was running out. He had always pushed back the thought, thinking he had time. But time ran out, and he hadn’t noticed. He was too concerned about all that stuff to even think about his feelings. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>But Piper had come to him and asked, and everything was pushed aside: all he could think about was Hazel, now. Her cinnamon hair, how she always smelt good and her beautiful smile. Her skin was, somehow, always so perfect, as if she never had a bad day. He had seen Thalia with pimples and black eyes and bags under the eyes. But Hazel’s face was always perfect. She looked as if she was always rested, which made no sense because she was a high school student, and she was working part-time at Sally’s candies shop. Maybe that’s where the good smell of her hair came from. She was so incredibly selfless and sweet, always concerning about their health and security, acting as the mother to their group, even if she was the youngest there and should have been focusing on acing her grades. She was just so incredibly great that Frank was convinced she was not from the same world as them because someone as good as her could have not come from anywhere but the angels themselves.</p>
<p>He had thought all that. It took just one question from Piper, and all his beliefs crumbled down. He had relegated his feelings for the girl far away in his brain and heart, not to deal with them. Every time he had liked a girl, something went wrong. Every time he found himself with a broken heart to mend and no one around to help him. Unconsciously, he had burdened himself with work not to have to face himself and his emotions. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I guess,” he had responded, sighing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s wrong?” Piper asked, worried by his reaction. She was good at reading people and at understanding them. If Frank ever felt like he needed to unload all the weight he was carrying, he knew the best person to talk to was Piper.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked at her and smiled. He knew she was feeling guilty for instigating such a reaction.</p>
<p>He shook his head, trying to say: Don’t worry, everything’s fine. “I just… I don’t want to hurt anymore,” he had replied. He knew she would have understood. </p>
<p>“But if you close yourself away from love, how will you ever feel alive again?” she had questioned him, putting a hand on his broad shoulder. “I know letting yourself go must be difficult. You had lost so much already, Frank. But it’s not by not hurting anymore that you will feel good again. The absence of pain is not pleasure, as many philosophers like to say. And pain is not the absence of pleasure. Being happy means find the goodness in this world, in someone, even when you’re hurting. You’re only really content, when you can look at a hard time and think you can go through it, you can pass it. And this picture can include someone to help you or not. You only decide that on your own. But you cannot keep all that sorrow inside and think that you have surpassed it. It’s not what your mum would have wanted. It’s not how you will overcome all your issues with your father,” she had said. “And, just for you to know, you’re not only a beautiful guy on the inside, but on the outside too,” she had added.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank was puzzled. She had been incredibly accurate. He had never once told the whole truth behind his issues. He had only known the guys from the band for a few months, and, as much as he liked them, he didn’t feel he could trust them a hundred per cent with all his hurt. He had always been very careful about whom to share his grief and abandonment issues. The only person who knew the whole story was her grandmother.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank didn’t know back then, both in April and in July, but he only had a few more months with her. He had always known his grandma wouldn’t have been around forever, but he had always supposed that by the time she would pass away, he had shared his burden, the whole thing, with someone. He only did with Hazel in June. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>His grandmother passed away in January, still thinking that the band thing was stupid and that he wouldn’t have gone too far. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Truth or Dare Piper McLean style only really meant that you had no possibility of getting away with the truth: you could either answer the question, or the dare would have had to include a part about being honest about something – even if the question wouldn't be as personal as a Truth would be. Once, they made Frank jump on one leg as he had to tell the story of how he had given his first kiss. If he fell, he had to start from the beginning again. It took Frank five minutes and three tries to finally tell the whole story. Annabeth, on the other hand, had to drink five of the most disgusting drinks while recounting the most embarrassing moment of her life (which happened to be the day she fell in the middle of the cafeteria, vomited and lost her pants somehow). It happened all over again because after drinking those five mixes, she had thrown up, and she ended up taking off her pants for old times’ sake. Percy couldn’t help but stare at her long legs until Piper gave Annabeth a night-gown to wear.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Annabeth! It’s your birthday, you had lost and, therefore, you’re gonna be the first one up!” Piper decided, calling the girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annabeth looked up from her conversation with Percy. “Oh, c’mon. It’s not fair. It’s Jason and Leo’s birthday as well, and they also lost,” she said, annoyed. She knew Piper was up to something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever,” Piper said, gesticulating. “Truth or Dare?” she asked wickedly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Truth,” Annabeth chose. Percy, by her side, was sitting a little too close to her. His hand was resting on the floor, just a few inches away from Annabeth’s jeans.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Piper smiled. “So predictable,” she commented. “If you could choose one of these guys to spend the rest of the night with, who would you choose?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Back to middle school, I see,” Annabeth said, with an angry face. Piper was definitely up to something that night, and Frank wasn’t sure if she was smart or not. When he first met Annabeth, he thought she was cool, but she became intimidating soon. She could have killed any of them and get away with it. Being on her blacklist wasn’t a wise move, and Piper was practically begging to be moved. “Percy,” Annabeth responded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nobody but Percy was surprised. She nudged Annabeth’s side and smiled. Her cheeks were red, and she was mumbling something under her breath, but nobody understood a word but Percy. They started whispering back and forth as if no one else was there. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Nico,” Jason called. The guy startled and looked up, scared. “Truth or dare?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Truth”, he said with a small voice. Nico had always hated the games where they had to be too open about themselves. He was not a forward guy. He was really closed off and scared of others’ opinion of him, which was absurd. Nico was of the best guys Frank had ever met and, if he hadn’t been a little scared of him (especially as his girlfriend’s brother), he would have reminded him every day. Frank supposed he wasn’t the type of person who liked compliments, though. Also, if he had to, he would have guessed that Nico chose Truth just because, one way or another, he would have to tell the truth, so why bothering with complicated Dares that would result in the same outcome.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jason thought about the right question for Nico. They always tried to be gentle with him but would then discuss his questions were always so simple. That would have taken attention off of Nico, and, even if he never said it, he was really thankful for it. “What would your last meal on earth be? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you shitting me, Grace?” Leo asked as he untangled himself from Calypso’s embrace.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We all know the answer to this question. His bloody Mcdonald’s! You could have used a little fantasy in asking the question, like… If you could choose your godly parent, who would it be?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jason laughed. “Don’t we know the answer to that question as well? It’s Hades, and you know it! We can’t be sure about the food! I’ve seen him eating a lot of veggies lately,” he said, raising his eyebrows. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nico was looking at them in silence while eating some chips. Will, at his side, was laughing his ass off, with his whole body bent over. “You know, guys, maybe we…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up, Nico”, Leo and Jason said simultaneously. They were still glaring at each other. Nico shrugged his shoulders and turned to talk to Will as if nothing had happened.</p>
<p>“You know,” Percy started to say. “If you wanted to ask a decent question, you should have asked him about his current crush,” he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nico startled and chocked on his drink. Will started to pat his back as Nico coughed off all the drink and the embarrassment. His cheeks were dark red, and the colour stood out on his pale skin. He turned to the friend on his side and nodded, as to say: I’m okay, you can stop now. Will smiled at him and nodded back. Frank couldn’t help but notice how in sync they were. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He turned to Hazel, who was still staring at her half-brother (her brother, she didn’t like the ‘half’ part), and was smiling, fondly. She rested her head on Frank’s shoulder without breaking her eye contact with the scene.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nico, still red in the face, looked up. “I’m sorry, what? What… me, what do you mean?” he asked, talking directly to Percy. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The singer’s blue hair was a mess, and it clashed a bit with his sea-green eyes. He kept playing with it as he was answering, “You’re jittery, and you are always out. Also, my mum says that you are often on the phone, smiling, <em>while</em> at work. You are never on the phone, usually,” he explained, while Nico was blushing. Will was smiling a big smile, one that reached his eyes, shining as the sun. “And every time we invite you out, you are always, I mean always, busy.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, but that’s just because I don’t like you,” Nico said. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Percy’s smile fell immediately. “W – what? Why…? What do you mean – I thought we made up! Nico!” he whined, his eyes getting bigger and bigger by the second, as he looked like a fish out the water. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nico half-smiled. “Oh, shut it, Perseus. It’s not as if you didn’t know,” he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Annabeth looked at Nico. “Perseus?” she turned to Percy. “Perseus? That’s your full name? As in the myth? The hero?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“At least it’s better than Jason or Thalia. I mean, their parents really did something with naming them after a hero and a Muse, didn’t they?” he asked, scoffing. “Also, I’ll let you know that Perseus was the only hero to have a happy ending, so my mum gave me a <em>killer</em> name,” he told her, crossing his arms and smiling annoyingly. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know Perseus was a son of Zeus, right, Seaweed Brain?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please don’t remind me. I’m trying to forget it,” he answered. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It was a thing, in our family,” Jason explained, “to name every kid by a mythology character. Our fathers were named after the gods, but they all figured that giving us their last name would be torture, so we all got our last name from our mothers’ side of the family.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s why it’s different for everyone,” Piper added. “But why?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We promised never to say their last name again,” Percy said, seriously. “Never ask.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Frank knew what the name was. Hazel had told him a long time before. He shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat. “So, are we gonna open these presents or what?”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>LEO</strong>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <strong>
    <em>Calloused hands weren’t made overnight, maybe one day I’ll realise</em>
  </strong>
  <strong> – Something I’ve Been Waiting On by Hardcastle</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo became manager of the band very randomly. He was talking with Jason about their album. He started to explain how they could increase their profit by promoting it and said some radio hosts and TV presenters he knew from hanging out with Piper and Will. The next thing he knew, he convinced them to listen to <em>Demibloods’</em> newest song and got them invited to a bunch of events. After that, he suddenly became their manager overnight, becoming the one who did all the talk for the band. He was pretty good at talking, he loved it, and people seemed to give him everything he wanted whenever he started to speak. It was probably because he would not shut up and would exhaust them. Still, whatever, the important thing was that he had successfully booked the band to play a set at <em>The Nine Muses Music Festival.</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>NMMF was one of the best music festivals in the New York area in the summer, always selling out in matters of minutes and being the breakthrough point for many young artists. He hadn’t really had to do much, just convince Will’s father to let them play. Apollo was one of the most known music producers, specialising in sending the young into the music scene. But he absolutely refused to let them just send demos. Oh no, he wanted to see them compete and earn a contract. That was why he started the Music Festival, which was, basically, an audition to participate in <em>Apollo’s New Talent</em> show, at the end of which one artist would win a contract. When the band knew about the possibility of being signed, even as remotely as it was, they went <em>nuts</em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The band was putting out their music on their own, being an independent artist, but Leo’s next big step was to get them a record deal. They had sent their demo to some small producers (figuring they would be luckier that way), but they hadn’t received any callbacks yet. The morale was quite down, but Leo tried to stay positive for them. Not even Hazel’s cheerful attitude helped them. <em>The Battle for The Deal</em> (as Leo called it) was their last possibility, really.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Frank, you entered late again,” Thalia said for the fifth time since they had started rehearsing that day. It was a few weeks after they had come back from California.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They went back to their jobs and studies, and Percy’s birthday was approaching. That information wouldn’t be so high in Leo’s list of concerns if it wasn’t for Annabeth and how stressed she was, trying to find a perfect birthday present for the guy. Ever since Percy gave her his birthday present, she hadn’t stopped talking about how she could never get him something as good. Seasonal tickets for the Yankees and a book about Greek and Roman architecture, and Annabeth fell even more in love with Percy than she already was. It would have been fun seeing her losing her mind because of a stupid birthday present if it wasn’t for the fact that she dragged Piper and Leo (and Will) along with her in her madness. Not even Friday’s homemade dinners were fun anymore. All they talked about was Percy, the new mysterious song he was writing and what they had bought him for his birthday (the answer was, usually, “Nothing, yet, Annabeth”).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, guys… I’m just so tired,” he said and, as he was trying to prove it, he yawned. It was almost ten pm, and they were still at Jason and Thalia’s rehearsing, writing and recording, trying to make the best out of each minute of practice they had. No one, but the band and Leo, was there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay, let’s take five guys,” Leo called, showing his open fists. “We are not getting anywhere like this. Let’s pause on practice and show me some new songs you’re working on,” he decided. He was having fun being in charge. “I’m trying to get in touch with someone at Warner, but I need some new good stuff, first.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jason smiled. “Frank and I are writing a cool new song. It sounds a bit like Centuries by Fall Out Boy, you know? A little gladiator-y and stuff? We were having fun imagining being heroes and demigods and, you know, like being strong and fight and being the best version of ourselves. It has a pretty strong melody, but we still need to work on the lyrics”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds good, let me hear something, first,” Leo told him, taking a pad for notes. He would usually mess around and be loud and nuts and annoying, but he would do anything to reach it when he set himself a goal. He became another person ever since he started to manage the band: he was a little more collected and less hyperactive. But he would drink six cups of coffee per day anyways. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Jason and Frank started playing the song. They called it “Romans!” and they really stressed the exclamation point. The melody was good, and, as they already anticipated, the lyrics still needed a little more sharpening. Still, in total, it was a good song. It could have been easily a hit single.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The song was good, guys. I liked it. I’m not gonna judge on lyrics and melody too much. That’s Percy’s and Thalia’s job. I wanted to ask you one thing–” Leo started to say before being interrupted by the girl.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Leo, who put you in charge?” she asked, annoyed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m the supreme captain of this ship, <em>Mamacita</em>. I make the calls and make the final decisions,” he said. Without even telling them, he had given their little group a new name in his head (and only Calypso knew about it): <em>Argo II</em>. If only Jason was the frontman and not Percy, it would have been even better, just like the original Jason and Argo. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sure you are, Repair Boy,” Percy said, ruffling his hair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, dude, c’mon! I thought we were over that nickname! And do you know how much it took me to get this hair? Seriously!” he tried to run away from Percy as he kept advancing towards him with his hands ready to ruffle his hair again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It looks as if you just woke up, Valdez. You’re not fooling anyone,” Thalia replied. </p>
<p>“Oh, whatever. Can we wrap this up now? You know, I have a girl at home, waiting for me, in my bed, maybe wearing just of my T-shirts,” he said, regretting it immediately. Just hinting at Calypso made him remember the girl, and he was lost in his world in a second. </p>
<p>When they first met, he thought she was just another one of his impossible crushes and actually resented her a bit when she dismissed him so quickly at the club. Only when she was cold and lonely, she accepted his company and his coat to cover herself. She, then, came by the garage he was working at to give it back, along with freshly made cookies and a beautiful smile, and he just asked for her number. He thought it was another long shot, but she gave it to him without hesitation and left with a smile. He had thought about that smile a bit while working. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The thing was, they didn’t work straight away as Jason and Piper did, or Frank and Hazel. The first few text chains were awkward and stupid, and they even had an argument the second time she came by the garage and brought him cookies. They hadn’t talked for a few days before she came by another time, offering a slice of cake and another smile. They knew each other’s buttons by then and were ready to make the same mistakes twice. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>From that day onward, Calypso came by the garage daily, and they really became friends. It wasn’t about how beautiful he thought she was, but how amazing she was, how much she made him laugh and how helpful she had been to him. She knew how to keep him calm, to not let his ADHD become too much of interference between them. They were always together, so intimate, so close together that everyone thought they <em>were</em> together. And if only he had been brighter, Leo would have seen the eyes Calypso gave him and how much she was waiting for him to ask her out. But he never did. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The months passed by, since they had met back in April, and it was soon mid of July, and they were still maybe friends, maybe more, and he still hadn’t asked her out. So, annoyed and impatient, Calypso took matters into her own hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Will you ever ask me out, or I have to keep flirting with guys to make you jealous? Because you have no idea what you are missing on, Leonidas Valdez,” she had said. She was the only person Leo had told his first name to. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They were walking in a park in California, eating ice cream and enjoying the sun. Leo had stopped as soon as his brain registered her words and had let his cone fall to the ground. It took the girl a few minutes to notice he was frozen, his mouth and eyes open with shock. His heart was beating extremely fast, and his mind was trying to figure out how a girl like Calypso was trying her all to get his attention, to make him jealous. He had been extremely jealous, if he had to be honest, but also he had felt like it was obvious she liked those guys because no one ever liked him). He was really wanted by someone. She wanted him, just as much as he wanted to be with her, to kiss her and make her heart beat a little faster. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She had turned to look at him and started laughing, seeing how surprised and caught-off-guard he was. That was what started him. He jumped forward and took her between his arms and made her spun around, making her laugh even more noisily and cutely. They hugged for ten minutes before he finally asked her out. She said yes before he could even finish the question.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They went on their date the day after they got back to New York from their holiday. He brought her to a nice Italian restaurant Hazel told him about and made her laugh. She explained to him the whole process of care for plants and didn’t understand its word or how to care for a living organism. However, he was still captivated by her and her mesmerising eyes. He had kissed her under the stars and asked her out for another date. Pretty soon, from there on, they were together every day, kissing every day. She was even sleeping in his bed basically every night (which was a habit they picked up in California. She slept with him the entirety of her stay, in a very platonic way). They were making up for the time lost, she would say, but they both knew they just wanted to be together because it felt better that way. It felt right.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Calypso was studying pre-med but was considering changing it, not feeling “the call” as Will did. She used to come to the garage to study, sitting next to Leo or help him in his work. She passed him the tools and talked about her problems even before they were officially together. He would listen and stop to answer her or kiss her on the cheek. That didn’t change, but now Leo was kissing her on the lips. Calypso would comment on things she found sexy about him, which helped Leo’s confidence. He found out that she liked when his hands were dirty with grease, and his clothes were crooked. Just as much as he liked when she had her hair down, and she would start helping him working out an engine problem without caring about her clothes and her perfect manicure. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They started talking about the future pretty soon about opening a garage together, repairing machines, and selling cookies and lemonade. As Piper said it, they were one of the sweetest and most annoying couples she had ever seen, all over and so head over heels with each other that they were disgusting. They didn’t care. He liked when she massaged his hair when they laid in one of their beds, and she liked it when he offered to put on her nail polish when she was too tired to do it herself. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It took them time, but they worked in the end, and Leo had never been so happy with a girl. Hell, he had never been as happy in his entire life. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And, in the end, he even convinced her that there was nothing wrong with giving up on pre-med, even it was something her parents pressured her to do. It was her life, and she had to make her own choices, no matter what anybody else thought. She had to collect her thoughts and, on her own, come up with her own life plan because she had to live it. That was the only night they didn’t sleep together since California. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She woke him up the day after, cookies in one hand and a shower of kisses. She told him about how she wanted to take a year off and decide if she would rather study English or Fashion. She had decided to apply to some charities that look after orphans, and he smiled so brightly and kissed her. She decided to write some freelance articles for some small journals and apply to a part-time job at a florist shop. She also spent half an hour showing him her gratitude for being with her, for supporting her choices, for making her feel that she had choices and that she could deviate from her family’s plans for her. He didn’t complain at all but actually loved it as much as she did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fingers snapped in front of his eyes. Leo shook the memories from his mind and turned to the band. Jason was in front of him, a smirk on his face, just as the others. They were staring at him with interest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, things with Calypso are going okay?” Percy asked with his usual grin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“W-what? W-why would you say, hm, that?” he questioned, confused.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You were staring at the wall for like five minutes and kept repeating her name, with this dreamingly note to your voice,” he explained to him, trying hard not to start laughing. Leo could see how his face was red from the effort it took him not to burst out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up and go back to your music,” he decided to say. “I want to be back home before midnight today,” he called.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Without anyone noticing, too occupied with discussing the setlist, he took his phone out and looked at his home screen, smiling at the picture of Calypso: she was smiling, the sun kissing her face, her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t giving him any attention. She was resting on her back, with her elbows keeping her up. He snapped that picture back in May, and it was one of his favourites of hers. He let his eyes rest on her smile once again before putting his phone back in his pocket and go back to the rehearsals.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Seriously how could he have not seen how they had been a couple for months before they really started dating? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Calypso was wearing Leo’s t-shirt while she was cooking something. Leo had no idea what it was, but it smelled amazing, and he felt content with just sit back and look at her. She told him all about her first day of volunteering at the Children Centre and reminiscing how she helped this kid complete his maths homework. He had appreciated her help so much, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and a cookie.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“All I’m saying is, I don’t get why they want to perform <em>The King</em> so badly. There are songs from <em>Conan Gray</em> that are way better,” Annabeth was saying while taking some chips from a bowl on the table. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Piper, Annabeth and Will were discussing the group’s setlist for the Festival in a few weeks. It was the first time the whole dinner wasn’t about Percy’s birthday, that was in just four days. Annabeth must have found the perfect present for the boy. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Jason said that Percy insisted on it because of the lyrics. He said it was something about making someone realise,” Piper explained, eating a chip as well. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo was only partially listening to the conversation. Still, he remembered well when Percy came to practice a week before, carrying music sheets freshly printed and saying that they had to play that song at all cost. His love life depended on it. Later on, he admitted having realised something, but he didn’t want to say much more, too scared to jinx it. Leo’s bet was on Annabeth's feelings, but Thalia said that Percy would have never been that smart. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em>You like me, oh, obviously</em>?” Annabeth asked, confused. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What?” Piper replied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s the lyrics. <em>You like me, oh, obviously</em>,” Will explained. He was texting. He had been texting the whole night. He had been using his phone much more in the past month, never separating from it for a second.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I get why you Will knows Conan Gray, but I thought you didn’t know shit about music, Annabeth,” Piper commented, shoving a handful of chips in her mouth. Annabeth only looked at her and mumbled something – probably it was Percy’s name.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Stop eating, you two!” Calypso said, taking the bag of chips from the girls and giving them a dirty look. “Dinner is almost ready. Go wash your hands,” she ordered. She looked a lot like a mother scolding her children, but Leo thought it was hot how she was in charge.</p>
<p>Annabeth and Piper groaned but got up to do as told. “You too, Will. And seriously stop texting Nico for a minute!” Piper said, taking his phone from the boy and running towards the bathroom.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s not Nico!” Will shouted, getting defensive immediately. Even from the kitchen, Leo could hear them fighting while Annabeth was trying to be a peacemaker between the two.</p>
<p>Leo got up as well but went to hug Calypso from behind. The girl rested her head on his shoulder, and he gave her a kiss on her hair. They didn’t say a word but stayed in that position until they could hear the trio coming back from the bathroom, still bickering about something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I was thinking. Would you like to come with me to the Children Care one day? You could teach them how to repair stuff and maybe talk to them about your own experience. I’m sure it would be amazing for them to hear from someone who had some similar experiences, ” Calypso said while stirring something in the pot. Leo smiled and moved to rest his back on the fridge.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had always loved children, and he had been told he was really good at taking care of them. He started imagining how it would be talking to them and help them and being like a big brother to them, someone they could count on, a figure he wished he had when he was lonely and scared like them. “Yeah, I would love to, Cal. Just tell me when,” he replied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girl turned around and flashed him with the most beautiful smile ever. She left the stove for a second and went to hug him. He leaned in the embrace, enjoying every second of it. She always smelled nice. Leo had started linking her perfume to home. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, look at them! So cute” Piper’s voice startled them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Piper! You ruined their moment,” Will sighed. “Sorry about it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up, Solace, or I won’t help you with boys anymore,” she said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Help with <em>what</em>?” Leo asked, surprised. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They all knew Will was bisexual. He was still a little insecure about it when they met a year prior. By November, he came out to them (he said they had the worst fake-surprised expression ever). He had thanked Piper for helping him and for being there for him when he needed support. Piper had cried (for real). But they never heard anything about Will and a boy before. He had never mentioned someone he had a crush on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s nothing,” Will said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s huge!” Annabeth replied. “I hope you’re happy, Will. You deserve it,” she added, hugging him. Will was smiling, with his chin resting on Annabeth’s shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I am,” he said happily.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, cute, <em>whatever</em>,” Leo said. “Who is he?!” he asked anxiously. He had always been a terrible gossip; he just liked to know things (and potentially tease people about it).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Leo, it’s none of your business!” Calypso said. “Now, set the table. Dinner is ready in five,” as she was talking, she put a bowl of salad in the middle of the table, smiling as always.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She was always calm and content, and happy. She never had a bad word for someone and always tried to see the best in every person there was. She was even nice to the guys who hit on her on a date with Leo, telling them to get lost because she was only interested in one guy, and he was holding her hand. (Leo was embarrassed to admit that he checked if they were holding hands because he couldn’t believe she had just turned down some varsity college students for him and his greasy shirts). </p>
<p> </p>
<p>When they sat, serving themselves with chicken and fried vegetables, Will finally spitted out the truth. “I’ve been dating this guy for a while. I don’t want to tell you his name because he’s not out yet, but he promised he will be soon. He’s amazing, seriously. I’ve never been happier!” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The girls cooed and awed, but Leo had only a question in mind. “So, who’s on top?” he asked, with a grin on his face, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Leo! That is not appropriate. Do not ask something like that ever again!” Piper said as Calypso and Annabeth (seated at his sides) hit him on his arms.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What? I ought to!” he said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, you don’t, and it’s disrespectful,” Calypso explained to him. “Sorry, Will”.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No need, I know Leo by now,” he smiled, always so bright and cheery. Leo would have said that he was shining, glowing in the dark. “We are versatile, but I’m on the top most of the time, even if he doesn’t like to admit he likes to be bottom,” he told him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo spitted out the food he was chewing. He was a hundred per cent ironic when he asked Will about his sexual life and was definitely not expecting him to answer his questions. He just wanted to tease him and, maybe, embarrass him a little bit. He did not need to know where his friend would stick his genitalia. He was grossed out and could not delete the mental imagine of Will doing it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Just for you to know, I'm ironic, and I will never tell you anything about my sex life," Will added. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo sighed in relief. "I won't ask again, I promise. Sorry," he apologised. Will smiled and nodded.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What is your type?” Calypso asked curiously. “I don’t want for you to tell me who this person is if you are not comfortable, but just… are you happy? Is he treating you good?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He is–” he stopped himself, looking for words. “He is amazing, really. He treats me so good, he makes me smile, and I really feel how much he cares about me. We can talk about everything, and he opened up to me as he never did with others, or so he says. And we really work together, you know? Like when we lay in bed, we complete each other, we fit together. And I have never been happier, never felt so good with myself. It feels like the world is brighter and no clouds are blocking out the sun anymore and –”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay, okay, we get it, Solace. You are in love. You’re only nineteen, though. I sure hope you intend to take things slowly,” Leo interrupted him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Of course! We are just enjoying each other’s company for now, as long as we can,” he replied, bowing his head and smiling.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, in that case… I am really happy for you, Will. You look happy, and it really suits you. Can’t wait to meet this guy,” Leo told him, smiling. His friend looked up at him and smiled back and blew him a kiss. Leo rolled his eyes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>*</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Children were running everywhere when Leo and Calypso entered the room. A little boy, no older than eight, was grinning, and his eyes were shining with a mad gleam as he moved around, looking like <em>he could probably go six rounds with Chuck Norris without breaking a sweat</em>. Leo immediately felt a connection with him, as if he was a little version of himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The boy’s hands were large and calloused and looked exactly like Leo’s. Those were hands of someone who enjoyed working with machines, who loved fixing things. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s his name?” he asked Calypso, not taking his eyes off of him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s little Harley. He’s a devil,” she said, smiling fondly. “I knew you would have liked him,” she added, turning to look at Leo and kissing him on the cheek.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo smiled without his teeth at the little gesture of affection, loving the girl's intimacy and vicinity. Harley ran past them, carrying a big car toy in his hand and a screwdriver. He looked crazy. He sat down on the floor and started working on the car, tearing it open in half a second. Leo was surprised by how skilled the little guy was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked at him fondly, remembering the times when he was exactly like him, a little boy who liked to play and rebuild cars and fixing toasters. Everybody looked at him strangely. He never felt really accepted or part of something, not until they started the Friday tradition a year before. It was in their little kitchen with Annabeth and Piper (and later Will and Calypso) that he really felt as if he belonged; he felt wanted and loved and cared for. He now knew how it was to be really loved by someone, how it was to have someone who worried for him and wanted him around, and all the pain had disappeared.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He always reminded himself one thing: if all the pain he had suffered in the past led him to where he stood now, then it was worth it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You know,” Calypso was saying, “there’s this programme here, it’s called the Halfblood Brother. It’s basically a Big Brother kind of thing, you know? Harley hasn’t been matched yet, you could see if you can sign up,” she suggested.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo pondered on it. “Where do I sign?” he asked. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Calypso smiled. “You should meet Harley first, don’t you think?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leo agreed and went to greet the little guy. He was still working on the car. He had reconstructed everything and was making some changes. Leo seated on the floor at his side, curiously looking at him and waiting to see the final result. Harley hadn’t noticed him, as he was too concentrated on his project. His tongue was sticking out of the mouth as he was wearing a very focused expression. The more Leo looked at him, the more he could find resemblances to himself and his young and scared self. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harley put the car back on the floor and charged him. When he let go, the car sped up in matters of seconds and run for at least five metres in just a few seconds. It was one of the fastest toy cars Leo had ever seen in his life. This little fella has some good skills, he thought. Not even Leo was that good at his age. Then he remembered that he had just lost his mother at Harley’s age. It took him almost two years to pick up another tool and start working on something as he was used to doing with her. She used to sit by his side while he was putting together pieces of junk in the shape of flowers or robots or little hearts, which he usually gave her as a token of his love for her. He missed her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Have you ever thought about using your skills on real cars?” he asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harley looked up at him. His eyes were wide in shook. “W-what?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m Leo. I work in a garage,” he introduced himself, offering the boy his hand to shake. Harley complied. “Calypso is my girlfriend, so I’m a cool guy. What would you say if I become your Big Brother?” he asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harley launched himself at him and squeezed him in his embrace. Leo laughed joyfully, feeling finally realised in every sense. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, that’s how it feels to finally have a good life. </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Here we are again! Sooner than usual. I just felt like it’s time to start wrap up this story and give it the end it deserves. It’s already written, I just need to post it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I wanna apologise to Leo for making him a little inappropriate with Will, but that’s what I wanted to show. Like just keep these kinds of questions to yourself, nobody would ask a heterosexual couple.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not much happens, I wanted to give space to the other couples and give a bit of an inside in their friendship as a group. It will be shown again in chapter nine, with another couple (I think everybody can guess who).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Probably two of my favourite chapters and the two most important ones are coming up next, so please look forward to them!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter :]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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